CityBeat | May 3, 2023

NEWS

as a political talk show. Springer’s namesake show quickly evolved into a shocking daytime display of conflict between everyday people. He would facilitate paternity test reveals, marriage confessions and in-studio brawls that blurred the lines between reality and scripted television. Chants of "Jerry! Jerry!" from audience members soon became an iconic battlecry for messy drama in America.

for the Springer family Jene Galvin in a statement.

Jerry Springer, Former Mayor of Cincinnati and Father of Daytime Shock Television, Dead at 79

Jerry Springer went from mayor of Cincinnati to hosting the messiest show in America.

BY MADELINE FENING

Jerry Springer, the provocative daytime talk show legend and former mayor of Cincinnati, has died at 79 from pancreatic cancer, his family spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. According to a report from WLWT, Springer’s family said he died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago on April 27.

Gerald Norman Springer was born on Feb. 13, 1944, in a London underground station that was being used as

a bomb shelter during World War II. At age 5 he immigrated to the United States with his family, settling in Queens, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Tulane University in 1965, then earned a law degree from Northwestern University before moving to Cincinnati to work for a law firm.

Springer was elected to Cincinnati City Council in 1971 but resigned in 1974 after admitting to paying a sex

worker with a check. Springer was reelected to council in 1975 and served on council and as mayor before a failed run for the governorship in 1981.

Springer then spent ten years as WLWT’s nightly news anchor in the 1980s and early 1990s where he earned several Emmys and coined his famous sign-off, "Take care of yourself, and each other."

Starting in 1991, The Jerry Springer Show debuted to a limited audience

The Jerry Springer Show ran for 27 seasons with nearly 5,000 episodes and countless censorship bleeps. Before the show officially wrapped in 2018, Springer returned to his roots as a political and cultural commentator with The Jerry Springer Podcast (subtitled Tales, Tunes & Tomfoolery) which was recorded at the Folk School Coffee Parlor in Ludlow, Kentucky.

CityBeat highlighted the Folk School Coffee Parlor in the 2019 Best of Cincinnati issue as the “Best Place to Hang Out with Jerry Springer.” Springer and his co-hosts Galvin and Megan Hils talked politics and more every episode, often with a humorous slant, while also hosting performances by local musicians, including Maria Carrelli, Dawg Yawp, Daniel Van Vechten and Ben Knight.

Funeral services are reportedly in development.

"Jerry's ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word," said spokesperson

"He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on."

Jerry Springer died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Chicago.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Ohio Minister Says Demonic Possession and Satanic Agendas Behind Opposition to Anti-Trans Bill

BY VINCE GRZEGOREK AND MADELINE FENING

Supporters of Ohio House Bill 68, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors, had its second hearing before the House Public Health Policy Committee on April 26.

Among the supporters was Stuart Long, a Columbus-area minister who came to say "what no one else would say" on the topic: Anyone opposed to the bill is possessed by demons who are propagating a satanic agenda.

you are clearly opening yourself up to the demons of the underworld.

“It’s kind of a metaphysical conversation, not calling you demons, just bringing up the fact you might be possessed and making decisions without the discernment of God,” Long said.

All manner of hate has been spewed in hearings for the anti-trans bill, but as Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, told the USA Today Network Ohio Bureau,

of non-Christian Ohioans targeted by these comments."

Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, a Baptist pastor from Sandusky County in north-central Ohio, announced the introduction of HB 68 in February, calling the bill the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.

If passed, the bill would prohibit physicians from prescribing some hormones or puberty blockers to minors. It would also block doctors from performing extremely rare gender reassignment surgeries on minors. The bill would also prohibit health care providers from “aiding and abetting” gender-affirming care from other states for their patients.

Mental health professionals would be barred from diagnosing or treating a minor with a gender-related condition without parental consent. Courts would also have limitations in their power deciding custody cases where one parent refuses to accept a trans child’s identity. The law would also prohibit Medicaid from covering any gender transition services.

Recent studies out of Stanford University School of Medicine show a link between gender-affirming hormone treatment in adolescence and better mental health outcomes and lower suicide rates.

Rep. Beth Liston (D), asked, “Was he also calling "our Hindu, Muslim and Jewish members demons?"

To which Long said that should you not welcome Jesus Christ as your savior,

"As much as I’d like to laugh this off, this kind of deranged bullying is all too common these days at the Statehouse. I’m incredibly thankful that my colleague Rep. Liston stood up for the millions

Minister Stuart Long testified that anyone opposed to Ohio House Bill 68 is possessed by demons.

PHOTO: THE OHIO CHANNEL

“The only thing that makes sense for what’s going on in this country is that demons are influencing people, allowing their bodies to be possessed to run satanic agendas,” he said. “If you can’t say, ‘Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,’ your body is possessed. Most likely by demons.”

Rep. Beth Liston speaks during a hearing before the House Public Health Policy Committee on April 26.

PHOTO: THE OHIO CHANNEL

Findlay Parkside Housing Project Gets Multi-Million Dollar Boost from City

BY MADELINE FENING

Adevelopment that will bring 26 affordable apartments to a blighted section of Vine Street near Findlay Market in Overthe-Rhine is on track to receive a

multi-million-dollar boost from the city. Cincinnati City Council's Budget and Finance Committee unanimously passed an ordinance on April 24 that transfers nearly $2.3 million in

Downtown/OTR West TIF funds to Findlay Parkside, LLC, an affiliate of the Model Group.

The nearly $28.4 million Findlay Parkside redevelopment project will convert 12 historic buildings around the 1800 block of Vine Street into a mixed-use development. Plans for the area include 51 apartments – 25 studios, 20 one-bedroom, six twobedroom – and 16,456 square feet of street-level commercial space.

Currently, the buildings are 97% vacant, with Eckerlin Meats occupying part of the first floor of 116 W. Elder, which will remain in place after construction.

The Model Group said 26 of the 51 apartment units will be considered affordable to households making 80% of the area median income for Hamilton County, which is $53,520 annually. Units are slated to run renters between $800 and $1,500 monthly.

CEO of the Model Group Bobby Maly told committee members that the developers increased the number of affordable units and added more twobedroom units after receiving community feedback.

“We have built in six two-bedrooms to try to be responsive to adding more diversity in unit sizes and we’ll be able to do that as this part of Vine Street continues to redevelop,” he said.

Maly said there were questions about units for those who make 60% of the area median income during community feedback sessions, which he said is not possible in this project, but it is still the goal overall for the developer.

“There’s a longer answer to this, but the short answer is we’re absolutely committed to doing 60% and below. We’re doing that in and around the neighborhood in a significant way,” he said.

The ordinance was passed by a full council vote on April 26.

The Findlay Parkside redevelopment project will convert 12 historic buildings around the 1800 block of Vine Street into a mixed-use development.

PHOTO: CINCINNATI DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The buildings that will house the Findlay Parkside redevelopment project are currently 97% vacant.

PHOTO: CINCINNATI DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls speaks to a crowd of Amazon Air Hub workers at a rally on March 18.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

Amazon Air Hub workers at KCVG have a new playbook to consider in their push to unionize the mega-company’s largest Air Hub.

Ramp workers at DHL Express at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Kentucky voted on April 28 to join the Teamsters union. The final tally was 505 “Yes” votes to join the union and 287 “No” votes, according to Teamsters organizers.

Across the street in the same air field are the workers at Amazon’s KCVG Air Hub – the largest Amazon Air Hub in the world. The KCVG employees started their union drive in November, hoping to achieve higher pay and better benefits for the 4,000 employees who load, unload and process 30% of the nation’s Amazon orders.

KCVG union organizer Griffin Ritze told CityBeat that Amazon Air Hub ramp workers do much of the same tasks as the DHL employees who just voted to unionize, which he said is a good sign for the union effort at KCVG.

“A victory for DHL workers is a victory for workers at KCVG. This is a historic opportunity for all air freight workers,” Ritze said.

The 1,100 ramp associates at DHL is a small number compared to the massive number of Amazon Air Hub employees across the street, making it harder for Amazon organizers to recruit and retain

card-carrying union supporters. Ritze said KCVG union organizers are doing “wall-to-wall” organizing, meaning they want to fold all 4,000 of the Air Hub’s ramp and sort employees into the Amazon Labor Union.

“I think at Amazon there’s a lot more labor sharing that occurs between these different departments and sections of the facility. We just have to go all the way,” he said.

Another obstacle Amazon organizers say they face is union-busting tactics from Amazon, including recent workplace meetings that organizers believe violate federal law.

KCVG is the first Air Hub in the country to see a public organizing campaign, making it a flashpoint for Amazon critics and defenders alike. Union organizers have filed a dozen complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over Amazon’s actions at KCVG since November 2022.

In one of the most recent, union organizers allege the company is illegally requiring employees to attend presentations with misleading information.

Ritze said Amazon started bringing in corporate employees known as “employee relations managers” to the Air Hub earlier this month. The employees, whom Amazon confirmed to CityBeat are full-time Amazon employees and not consultants, hold up to four meetings

a day at the Air Hub, which are known in union circles as “captive audience meetings.”

Captive audience meetings

The meetings are commonly held by employers to dissuade employees from unionizing, but national labor laws prevent companies from threatening or pressuring employees outright during these sessions.

Seth Goldstein, a lawyer representing the Amazon Labor Union, told CityBeat that employers are required to tell employees that meetings about unions are always optional.

“In order to meet with the employee about the union, either as a captive audience or one-on-one, the employer now has to say to the employee, ‘Do you want to attend this meeting? You don’t have to if you don’t want, and if you don’t attend it, you’re not going to be disciplined for not attending,’” he said. “They cannot be compelled anymore to go to that meeting.”

Ritze told CityBeat that Amazon frames the meetings as required.

“A manager will come find you and say, ‘Hey, we’re having this employee relations-related meeting at this time,’ and then they’ll labor-track you. You’ll scan into the meeting and scan out so your time’s accounted for. Any time that

you’re told to scan in for something, you’re given the impression that it’s mandatory,” he said.

Ritze also said a manager told a group of employees on April 10 that they were required to attend a captive audience meeting, which has prompted union organizers to file a National Labor Relations Board complaint.

“I was talking to a crew this morning that went to [a meeting] and they were like, ‘Yeah, we all said we didn’t want to go, and they said we have to,’” Ritze said.

Amazon did not respond to CityBeat’s questions about the manager telling employees outright that the meetings was required, but did provide this statement:

“It’s our employees’ choice whether or not to join a union. It always has been. Holding meetings about unions with employees is a process that’s been legally recognized for more than 70 years. Like many other companies, we hold these meetings because it’s important that everyone understands the facts about joining a union and the election process itself,” said Mary Kate Paradis, a public relations manager for Amazon.

Video provided to CityBeat by an Amazon employee shows one of the meetings from start to finish. At no point did a presenting employee relations manager say the meeting was optional for employees.

In the video, an employee relations

Union organizers are demanding a $30 hourly wage for all of the Air Hub’s 4,000 employees. |

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

manager named Shawn Baxter describes a union as a business.

“A union is business, and just like any other business you either sell goods or you sell services,” Baxter says in the video, wearing a fluorescent orange work vest and jeans. “And in this case, a union sells a service, and that service is called representation. So, in exchange for money – which they have a fancy word for, called ‘dues’ – in exchange for dues or money, they provide the service of representing you. Rather than speaking for yourself, you have a union representative who is speaking on behalf of you.”

After the meeting is let out, an employee can be heard asking why employees weren’t told the presentations are not mandatory to attend. The employee can be heard telling a presenter that withholding that information amounts to union busting.

The presenter responds by raising his voice, saying, “It’s not union busting!”

Amazon did not respond to CityBeat’s request for information about employee relations managers’ duties outside of holding captive audience meetings.

The union makes its move

Union organizers are demanding a $30 hourly wage for all of the Air Hub’s 4,000 employees, as well as 180 hours of paid time off and union representation at disciplinary hearings. Employees currently make an average of $19 per hour, and would need to work at the company for six years or more to receive 120 hours of annual paid vacation time, or 15 days.

Air Hub employees started union efforts in November after management announced there would be no peak pay for the 2022 holiday rush. Peak pay in 2021 was an extra $2 per hour — which workers say helps compensate for what they face when Amazon package volumes swell and employees are required to perform mandatory overtime with a freeze on paid time off.

In the last two months, the unionizing campaign has heated up — with help from union leaders outside Cincinnati.

On March 18, organizers held a rally at the CVG Air Hub to announce a partnership with the national Amazon Labor Union (ALU).

ALU president Chris Smalls and vice president Derrick Palmer led the

first-ever successful union drive at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, which voted to formally unionize in April 2022. While Amazon continues to fight the win in court, Smalls and Palmer are helping Amazon facilities to strengthen their union drives across the U.S.

At the rally, some workers carried signs that said “UNION YES!” and “Unionize Amazon Everywhere.” Organizers flashed their signs to passing cars and trucks, some honking in support, including three Amazon Prime delivery trucks.

In a statement emailed to CityBeat after the rally, Amazon’s Paradis said the majority of the rally’s 75 attendees were outside organizers.

“Despite a very small gathering initiated and mostly attended by outside organizers, our employees at KCVG continued to do what they do every day, deliver for our customers. While we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve, we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our team at KCVG,” Paradis said.

The rally was originally planned to

take place in the facility’s parking lot, but site security blocked off the entrance near Day One Drive to anyone who was not an Air Hub worker.

Paradis said the site was blocked off as a safety measure, and that the facility parking lot is never open to non-credentialed visitors.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety and privacy of our employees. As always, non-credentialed employees, community members and media must follow our standard process which prohibits the public from entering private property,” Paradis said.

The day before the rally, Amazon sent all KCVG Air Hub employees a text message that warned employees to protect their “personal information” from union organizers. “It’s important to remember you have no obligation to speak to any person or group, including a union organizer,” the company said in a statement linked in the text message.

The rally marked the start of KCVG’s union card authorization drive. If enough KCVG employees sign a union authorization card, the next step would be an election held by the National Labor

Air Hub employees started union efforts in November after management announced there would be no peak pay for the 2022 holiday rush. |

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

Relations Board where KCVG workers could vote to formally unionize. A win would mean the company would be required to engage in good-faith talks about the union’s demands, though Amazon could try to fight a win in court.

Experienced helpers

One of the rally speakers in March was Smalls, who famously helped unionize the company’s Staten Island facility. Organizers told CityBeat that Smalls got past the security checkpoint at the Air Hub to help run a union sign-up table outside the facility’s doors, but Amazon’s site security asked Smalls and other organizers to leave the facility due to “safety and privacy” concerns.

“I was an entry-level worker when I got hired at Amazon in 2015. I was making $12.75. I know the ins and outs of this company, I know what you guys go through on a daily basis, I know the grievances, I know the hardships,” Smalls told the crowd, with police officers standing by in case organizers tried to advance closer to the facility. “You are the ones that deserve the money we make this company. We have to fight for it, they’re not going to give it to us.”

Amazon has sought to discredit Smalls as a union organizer based on the circumstances surrounding his termination with the Amazon facility in New York.

“Mr. Smalls, a former employee at a fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York, was terminated for putting the health and safety of others at risk and violations of his terms of his employment. Mr. Smalls received multiple warnings for violating COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, and despite instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite putting the teams at risk,” Paradis said. “Smalls has no connection with KCVG and despite informing him that he was not permitted on our property, he disregarded the safety and privacy of our employees and the security protocols at our site.

Palmer told CityBeat ahead of the rally that the union has sought to help support other Amazon warehouses that are organizing across the country, but this is their first time helping to organize an Air Hub.

“That’s why we’re going out there, to understand the dynamics of what’s going on. The workers, the ones who are actually working at the Air Hub, are the experts. We’re learning,” Palmer said. The pair acknowledge that they were underdogs when they first began organizing in Staten Island.

“At the beginning of our union campaign we reached out to local officials, but people didn’t really take it seriously,” Palmer said. “We didn’t really get that support until after we won the election, that’s when we got the support. There are politicians that do support unions,

you just have to really make sure they’re there for the workers and not just there to make themselves look like they care for the workers.”

Smalls added, “We don’t want to put ourselves in a category, because we understand that not all Amazon workers are on the left or on the right. We don’t know what they are because they come from different places all over the country, all over the world. We’re talking about Kentucky, which we already know is a conservative state, it’s a Right to Work state, we can’t go in there with an agenda that’s political, we have to keep the issues work-related.”

Ritze said at the March rally that Air Hub workers will need help from the public to successfully unionize.

“It’s going to take the entire labor movement, it’s going to take everyone out here today and much more,” Ritze said through a megaphone.

Supporters of the union effort at Amazon think KCVG could be a major turning point for the labor movement at large.

“The launch of card collection at KCVG is a moment of historic significance, not just for the unionization of Amazon but for the wider labor movement,” said Greyson Van Arsdale, a volunteer supporting KCVG’s union effort.

“If the campaign at KCVG is successful, it will only be the second unionized Amazon facility in the country, and it will concretely demonstrate a method to building a labor movement that can unionize all of Amazon and beyond.”

Amazon’s KCVG Air Hub is the largest Amazon Air Hub in the world. |

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY AMAZON

Employee relations manager Shawn Baxter speaks during a captive audience meeting. | PHOTO: PROVIDED BY ANONYMOUS UNION ORGANIZER

DHL Workers at CVG Hold Union Vote Demanding Safer Working Conditions

BY MADELINE FENING

While higher pay is a conversation DHL employees want to have with management, safer working conditions is the most pressing issue for employees who voted to join the Teamsters union on April 28.

Workers told CityBeat that ramp associates are paid as low as $20 per hour to have life-threatening jobs loading and unloading nearly 400,000 pounds of cargo per day using equipment they described as dangerous or outdated.

Garrett Schwing, a ramp lead for DHL-CVG, told CityBeat that employ-

ees have to fend for themselves in a dangerous environment.

Board records. Injuries included broken, crushed and dislocated limbs.

Schwing told CityBeat that understaffing and lack of training are leading to serious workplace injuries at DHL.

“We’re solving problems for our company that aren’t even taught in on-the-job training. We figure it out just by conversations and off-hand on-the-job experience,” he said. “A company of our size cannot afford to do this anymore. They cannot afford to put people’s lives in danger and say, ‘you’ll figure it out.’”

Teamster organizers have filed 18 Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against DHL based on retaliation against union supporters and working conditions. All ULPs are still pending investigation by the National Labor Relations Board.

In 2022, there were at least 22 workplace injuries that required transport to a hospital or emergency room, according to Kenton County Airport

Records show one worker suffered a “degloving” of his arm, an injury where the skin and tissue get ripped away from the bone.

DHL did not respond to CityBeat’s request for comment on the union vote or the allegations of unsafe workplace conditions for DHL employees.

DHL-CVG workers voted on April 28 to join the Teamsters union. | PHOTO: FACEBOOK.COM/DHLWORKERSUNITED

“We have to have absolutely better safety policies than just, ‘Oh, take care of yourself, be careful and don’t get hurt,’ that’s not good enough for an air hub,” Garrett Schwing said.

Cincinnati United Soccer Club seeks Boys or Girls/Technical, Academy or Youth Director in Cincinnati, OH.

Multiple Openings. Responsible for day to day operations of relevant programming. Creation and oversight of training schedules, curriculum and processes; communication with coaches, administrators, players and families; education and management of staff and leadership; placement and evaluation of coaching staff and leadership of Directors.

TO APPLY

Please visit cincinnatiunitedsoccer.com and additionally email a CV to Scott Bower at bowercupda@gmail.com. Please reference Job Youth Director.

ARTS & CULTURE

Whip It Out

We’ve rounded up a few of the best public spots to comfortably breastfeed your baby in Greater Cincinnati.

BY MADELINE FENING

No matter the time or place, nursing your baby in public is a human right. While Ohio law protects parents who just want to whip it out and feed the little one, parents often struggle to find an enjoyable nursing space that isn’t a public bathroom. CityBeat asked the parents of the Cincinnati Moms and Friends Facebook group to share their favorite places to nurse or pump in public. The result was a resounding “anywhere!” but parents still noted that comfortable nursing hideaways come in many different forms. As hot summer days approach and crowds start to fill family-friendly spaces, these are some of the best spots for nursing your baby in peace.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens

There’s something about being surrounded by exotic animals and their babies that makes nursing feel like an exciting act of nature. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens has plenty of benches along scenic, shaded paths perfect for breastfeeding, but the zoo

also offers two dedicated nursing rooms. Known as “nursing nests,” these rooms can be found near the zoo’s Base Camp Cafe and in Mai Thai’s Market. After hours of walking in the sun, moms can relax on the nursing nest’s comfortable couches to pump or feed baby. The rooms are air conditioned, which is a godsend on hot days when sweat builds up between you and baby. The nursing nests also offer toys to entertain any other children that may be in tow, which is especially helpful if you’re running the zoo visit solo that day.

Fifty West Brewing

In the warmer months, Fifty West Brewing looks like a summer camp for kids and grownups alike. The familyfriendly (yet legitimately cool) atmosphere means many other patrons are parents, too, and they don’t give a shit if you’re feeding your newborn out in the open. Seasoned parents usually don’t have a problem whipping it out whenever, but parents new to public breastfeeding might find comfort in community at a place like Fifty West.

Plus, that notorious nursing appetite will be more than satisfied by their famous burgers and shakes.

Great American Ballpark

When it comes to nursing and pumping amenities, Great American Ballpark is by far the best local sports stadium for new parents. The Reds went all out with two Pampers nursing rooms, one on the Suite Level near the Bally Sports Club elevators, and the other on the View Level near sections 536/537. The airconditioned rooms offer a kitchenette with a sink, a private restroom, changing stations, and lockers for storing items during the game. For parents who lucked out with a babysitter but still need to keep up with a pumping schedule, both nursing lounges offer refrigerators to keep that liquid gold chilled. And remember, you always have the right to simply pop open your overalls and feed your baby without missing an inning. Hell, if that Cincinnati dad can famously catch a fly ball while bottle feeding his baby, who says you can’t catch a homer while breastfeeding?

Nordstrom at Kenwood Mall

Going to the Kenwood Mall with your kid(s) on a busy Saturday can be nightmarish in and of itself. Nursing in uncomfortable chairs in a crowded food court or a sticky public bathroom can be another headache entirely, especially if you have multiple little ones by

your side. Enter Nordstrom. Yes, the retailer is not always affordable for new parents, but shopping isn’t a requirement to use their ultra comfortable nursing and changing rooms tucked away on the second floor. Nordstrom’s nursing room is quiet and dimly lit, which can be a nice contrast to the fluorescent chaos of shopping. Fancy high-back nursing chairs with arm rests are positioned next to side tables with outlets so you can recharge your phone and your sanity. Pro tip: hit up Nordstrom’s Ebar on your way into the store for an artisan coffee to sip while you nurse.

Ault Park

Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, and parents deserve a view to match the experience. Nursing in the gorgeous greenspaces of Ault Park in Mt. Lookout makes you feel like you’re living in a renaissance masterpiece. If you’re visiting Ault Park during the spring months, consider pausing your family stroll under one of the park’s weeping cherry trees. The sun shining through the pink and white cherry blossoms casts a glowy light and smells fresh and sweet, feeding your soul while you feed your little one. Or snag a bench (with armrests) at Ault Park’s Heekin Overlook for a stunning panoramic view of the Little Miami River Valley.

Greater Cincinnati is home to a number of establishments that provide a comfortable atmosphere for breastfeeding.

PHOTO: WILLSANTT, PEXELS

Seven Guitars is a Poignant, Heart-Rending Depiction of the Black Experience in Post-War America

REVIEW BY RICK PENDER

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park continues its 2022-2023 season with August Wilson’s richly textured Seven Guitars on its brand new mainstage, The Rouse Theatre. It’s 1948 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the setting for most of Wilson’s American Century Cycle, his series of 10 plays portraying African American lives across the decades of the 20th Century. There’s a great deal of sorrow in this tale set in a hardscrabble backyard during the aftermath of a funeral, but the vitality of life is the fuel that fires Wilson’s portraits of seven characters, the “guitars” on which his lyrical monologues are performed.

Staged by veteran director Ron “OJ” Parson (who has put together more than 30 productions of Wilson’s deeply admired plays), Seven Guitars is both an ode to and a celebration of Black lives.

The mourners recall musician and singer Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton (Dimonte Henning), a recent Army veteran who seemed on the cusp of a successful career with the release of a single blues recording by a Chicago record label. Like his musician friends, elegant harmonica-playing Canewell (Vincent Jordan) and energetic, talkative drummer Red Carter (Bryant Bentley), Barton faced daily uphill battles against racial prejudice in post-war America. Barton has returned

to Pittsburgh to celebrate his success and win back the affections of Vera Dotson (Kierra Bunch), who he left behind when he headed to Chicago with another woman. Vera has steeled herself against his charms, but Barton’s charms are hard to resist, despite the warnings of plain-spoken Louise (Marsha Estell) who frequently cuts through the bluster and bullshit of the men.

And then there’s eccentric Hedley (Kevin Brown). Older than the other characters, denying the early signs of tuberculosis and inclined to barely coherent outbursts that have become frequent and tolerated, he makes his way selling sundries — cigarettes, candy, hard boiled eggs and chicken sandwiches — door-to-door. He also raises and slaughters chickens. He’s unstable, often raving about his past — especially his father who promised him money and Buddy Bolton, a cornet player who was an early jazz musician and died in a mental institution. In Hedley’s often hallucinatory monologues, Bolton comes to deliver funds from his father that could purchase land for a small plantation, a means to freedom from white dominance.

The show’s seventh character is Ruby (Saran Bakari), Louise’s attractive young niece who arrives from Alabama to escape from a life laced with love

affairs and murder. She is a sexual distraction for all the men, even — or particularly — Hedley, who, despite his age and mental infirmity, yearns for a son who might rise up to become a leader and inspiration to Black men.

Wilson’s script mixes all these ingredients in a joyous stew of vibrant language and personalities — people who are inclined to burst into unfettered song and dance. These are escape mechanisms in the face of police brutality and shady business operators. Barton’s manager previously stranded the musicians in Chicago, and we later learn he’s been selling fraudulent insurance coverage. Nevertheless, Henning’s portrait of “Schoolboy” is laced with ebullient optimism, tempered by an undercurrent of resentment at how his life has unfolded — his guitar in hock, money owed not forthcoming, and missteps in his relationship with Vera, weary of his philandering ways.

Brown’s magnetic and strong-voiced Hedley is humored by the others, but his erratic and sometimes prophetic outbursts remind them of the plights and dangers they all face. He slaughters and plucks poultry — including a crowing rooster that is surely out of place in an urban neighborhood — clearly represents the challenges faced by the characters. Several chickens come to

bloody ends, and death seems an inevitable outcome for the residents.

Shaun J. Motley’s understated scenic design, the backside of a two-story tenement with external steps, see-through windows and double cellar doors (Hedley stores his sale inventory there in the basement), is all that’s needed to set the story of the characters’ interactions — often in one-on-one conversations and debates. Hedley’s makeshift butchering table where he plucks chickens is the only sign of disarray with feathers strewn across the yard. Otherwise, folding chairs and a card table are brought out periodically, and a tiny, struggling garden bed plays an integral part in the unfolding of the show’s shocking final moments. Jason Fassl’s striking lighting design sets the tone for each scene, sometimes an amber wash as recollections unfold, sometimes bright and harsh when everyday realities come to the fore. Multiple scenes conclude with a character expressing heightened emotions in a pool of light that’s suddenly extinguished.

Along the way to its tragic conclusion, Seven Guitars taps into the vibrance of daily life in this spirited neighborhood. The constant banter between the men is full of humor, joshing and occasional threats with guns and knives often at the ready. Louise’s wry remarks usually defuse encounters and put her friends in their places. Ruby is fully aware of her sex appeal as she sashays up and down the outside stairwell in provocative red dresses. Red, dressed in the snazziest, colorful garb of the 1940s, is repeatedly a bolt of physical energy, recruiting the others into the abandon of suggestive dance. Canewell is more restrained and genuine, dressed accordingly and often a voice of reason who’s seldom taken as seriously as he would like. The costumes are designed by Yvonne L. Miranda.

All of Wilson’s plays are shot through with themes of prejudice and discontent. In many ways, Seven Guitars, set squarely in the middle of the century, represents the sharpest, most heartrending depictions of the desperate plights of its characters. This is an important American play, and the Playhouse is to be congratulated for its dynamic and emotionally grabbing production.

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents Seven Guitars through May 14 at Moe and Jack’s Place — The Rouse Theatre, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Eden Park. Info: cincyplay.com.

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Seven Guitars features intimate portraits of seven different characters.

PHOTO: MICHAEL BROSILOW FOR MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATRE

CRITIC’S PICK

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Trouble in Mind Addresses

Racial Stereotyping and Sexism in Theater

PREVIEW BY RICK PENDER

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is in the business of staging classic plays, but its upcoming production of a play by Alice Childress could well be one that’s not all that familiar to many theatergoers, despite premiering in 1955 in an award-winning, off-Broadway production. In 1957 the darkly comic Trouble in Mind was on the brink of being the first Broadway play by a Black woman when Childress pulled it back after producers tried to shape it with a new title, So Early Monday Morning, and a less confrontational ending that would be more palatable to white audiences. After trying to give the show a more pleasant resolution due to producer and directorial pressure, Childress was disgusted by the changes that were turning it into “a heartwarming little story.” She preferred to keep her more realistic tale intact when her script was re-published in 1971, and insisted that all future productions use that version.

For decades, Trouble in Mind was seldom produced, until the 21st Century, when its stil-relevant themes could not be denied. At Cincy Shakes, it’s being directed by Torie Wiggins, a prolific theater professional whose own play, Who All Over There?, just had its world premiere at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Wiggins has performed as an actor on many local stages.

Trouble in Mind tells the backstage story of a play about a crew of actors rehearsing a new Broadway drama, Chaos in Belleville, supposedly condemning the lynching of a young Black man in the South but soft-pedaling its harshest message. The liberal white director butts heads when the Black leading actor playing Wiletta Mayer, the young man’s mother, pushes back against his reliance on racial stereotypes and false assumptions in a script that might have been well-intended, but was in fact horrendously wrongheaded.

“I was gobsmacked by how specific and relevant this play is now,” Wiggins said in a recent phone conversation with CityBeat about the show’s exposition of sexism and racism. “Especially for Black actresses. Parallel with this main character, I have run into these stereotypes even today, 60 years since Childress wrote it. It’s still a thing that actresses of color have to navigate.”

Wiggins is quick to say that many ageold stereotypes, such as playing maids, are a thing of the past. “But there are still so many assumptions, for instance, about being maternal. We rarely get to be romantic leads or to play a character who finds her way.” Wiggins, an Atlanta

native and 2003 graduate of the acting program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music who has adopted Cincinnati as her artistic home, says too often Black actresses don’t get to engage in the full spectrum of storytelling. As rehearsals have unfolded for the show, Wiggins said, “Everyday, something clicked.”

Leading the cast of conflicted actors in Chaos in Belleville is another veteran Black Cincinnati performer, Candice Handy, playing Wiletta. Wiggins said, “Candice is well suited for this role. It’s refreshing to look her in the eye and recognize that we have parallel perspectives.” Another Cincy Shakes veteran from the past, Matt Johnson, returns to play the supposedly liberal director who shallowly insists he doesn’t see color: “Black, white, green or purple. I maintain there’s only one race. The human race,” Johnson says as the liberal director in Trouble in Mind. All the while, he bullies the Belleville actors despite their resistance toward stereotypical performances to make the story more palatable to white audiences.

Wiggins admits that it’s a challenge to juggle the complexities of Childress’s script. “It’s almost like I’m directing two plays since it’s a play about a play. I’m giving direction to an actor who’s playing an actor, so sometimes it’s hard to keep things straight. On the other hand, this presents two sets of themes and two sets of stereotypes, so it’s pretty interesting.”

A year ago Wiggins starred in a one-woman performance at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati of Kathy Y. Wilson’s Your Negro Tour Guide. She cited the common ground between Childress’s play and the late CityBeat columnist’s

writing: “Kathy did her battle with a society that won’t let stereotypes die. She saw how plays and movies too often impose a safe place to keep us when we aren’t magical.”

Why is Trouble in Mind important today? Wiggins says, “I guess I must sound like a broken record, but this is still relevant; these things are still happening. As my grandma used to say, ‘A steady drip of water on a rock will make a groove.’” That’s what makes this classic play all the more essential nearly 60 years later.

Trouble in Mind, presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, will run May 12-June 3 at the Otto M. Budig Theater, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Info: cincyshakes.com.

Candice Handy as Wiletta Mayer in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Trouble in Mind

PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER

FOOD & DRINK

A Fruitful Foray

FRUITBLOOD wines are now available in bars and stores throughout Ohio.

BY KELSEY GRAHAM

Fruit wine tends to get a bad rap, but that’s something owner Josh Elliott of FRUITBLOOD is ready to change with his fruity libations that are now available state-wide. Elliott teamed up with Cincinnati-founded craft beverage distributor Cavalier Distributing to bring his fruit wines to bars, restaurants and stores throughout Ohio.

Elliott’s interest in fruit wines blossomed a few years ago as he searched for fruit-forward champagne that seemed nonexistent. “The whole thing started as a want for cherry champagne,” he said. “I like champagne; I’m not really a big wine drinker. And part of that was just because it just takes so much education trying to learn about wine.”

But to his surprise, he couldn’t find fruit-forward champagne. “I really thought for sure somebody’s got to be making cherry champagne,” he said. “The more research I did, it seemed like people were so apprehensive to add fruit to their wine.”

And thus, Elliott’s foray into fruit wine began, officially launching FRUITBLOOD in 2021. But he wasn’t starting from scratch. Elliott previously

worked as a head brewer at Urban Artifact, which specializes in alcoholic fruit tart beverages, so he already had experience with fermentation and fruit flavors, which helped in his transition as a wine-maker.

Working at Urban Artifact also helped him make industry connections, especially when sourcing ingredients and finding reputable farmers to purchase quality fruits. He sources cherries from outside Traverse City, Michigan, boysenberries and crab apples from the Pacific Northwest, and peaches from the Carolinas for flavorful drinks.

If you’re a wine drinker, fruit wine isn’t much different except for its more enhanced fruit-forward flavor, Elliott says. “The fruit flavors are more explicit,” said Elliott, which he looks for in his own beverage choices. “I just want those flavors turned up to the point where I can actually taste them instead of just being hints.”

You can really taste the difference in their most popular wine, Love Bite, which Elliott describes as “cherry pie in a glass.” While not too sweet, this fruit wine is made with white grapes and Montmorency cherries for a delicious,

well-rounded taste. “The bubbles and tartness help fill in the gaps in your brain to make it kind of pie-like,” said Elliott.

FRUITBLOOD is a team effort between Elliott and designer and brand director Becca Miller, who met at a wedding in 2019. Miller brought Elliott’s

FRUITBLOOD specializes in fruit-forward wine.

PHOTO: CATIE VIOX FOR ZEST CINCY

FRUITBLOOD is a team effort between Becca Miller (left) and Josh Elliott.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY FRUITBLOOD

vision for the brand to life and allowed each bottle to have its own artistic feel while keeping the brand cohesive.

“I realized all the rules are out the window, so we can kinda do what we want when in terms of branding like we’re not trying to make it look like anything else,” said Elliott. “If people are going to think we’re tacky, to begin with, let’s just lean into it and make it as fun as we can,” he said.

Partnering with a distribution company has freed up some of Elliott’s time, allowing him to focus more on the wine itself instead of selling it. “This year seems like a really big refinement year for me,” he said.

Working with a distributor also gives him a new perspective on his business. “It’s really helpful to get some more feedback from the market from their sales reps to kind of get an idea of maybe things I hadn’t thought of or directions to take the business in that I hadn’t thought of,” said Elliott. One of those ideas he recently debuted was canned wine. “Fruit wine is a leap, good fruit wine is a further leap, and then canning that…so getting ideas of things people would want is going to be really helpful,” he said.

While Elliott worked with aluminum cans previously at Urban Artifact and likes that they’re infinitely recyclable, using them with fruit wine was a bit more complicated. FRUITBLOOD makes pét-nat style wine, a French term roughly meaning “naturally sparkling.”

“The thing that kind of defines it stylistically is bottling the wine before it’s finished fermenting,” said Elliott. And while this took some experimenting, FRUITBLOOD released two canned wines in the spring of 2023 — Weirdo Pét-Nat and Tasteful Nudes Rose Pét-Nat — that are both a sustainable and convenient new addition. “I don’t like having to open a

whole bottle all the time, so to open a can is really nice,” said Elliott.

Elliott plans to see how distribution goes throughout Ohio before adventuring out to other states. Currently, outside of Ohio, most of his orders go to Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York, so those are potential future endeavors. But in the meantime, he looks forward to getting better at winemaking, experimenting with new flavors, and focusing on growing FRUITBLOOD’s club memberships. “For people to buy into the idea with me and say, ‘Sure, I will commit to buying your new stuff as it comes out,’ I really appreciate people giving me the benefit of the doubt in that way,” he said.

FRUITBLOOD’s club membership is easy to join on their website and drops four times a year. There are three membership levels, all dependent on the number of bottles you’d like delivered per season, starting at around $54 for two bottles, $102 for four bottles, and $153 for six bottles. Club members enjoy fun perks like first access to new pétnats, wine pairing recommendations, recipes and access to FRUITBLOOD merchandise.

You can enjoy FRUITBLOOD’s fruit wine locally in small bars and bottle shops around Cincinnati, including Symposium in East Walnut Hills, Cappy’s Taproom and Bottle Shop in Loveland, and on the shelves of Clifton Market. All of their current fruit wine bottles, cans and club memberships can also be purchased on their website at fruitblood.com. Visit cavbeer.com/ohio/ contract for more information about where FRUITBLOOD wines are available to purchase throughout the state.

For more information about FRUITBLOOD, visit fruitblood.com.

FRUITBLOOD sources ingredients from reputable farmers around the country.

PHOTO: CATIE VIOX FOR ZEST CINCY

The Acres’ Restaurant and Bar Pairs Nostalgia and LocallySourced Cuisine

BY BRIAN CROSS

It’s not always a good idea to change what works. Before it was recently overhauled and rebranded as The Acres, Etter’s Golf Center had offered a basic driving range and a small mini golf course since it opened in 1950.

“I think it’s pretty much been set up almost exactly like this, unchanged, for 70 years.” Todd Gailar, managing partner of The Acres, told CityBeat

At a time when the facility was showing its age, and not in a funky vintage way, Gailar was an Etter’s regular who envisioned more for the property. He thought it could use more than just a fresh coat of paint, but rather a full revamp, adding food, drinks and more fun outdoor activities.

“I came down to hit a bucket of balls, and on my way down I thought, man, this could be a cool concept,” Gailar said.

In 2020, Gailar started talking to the previous owner about the possibility of buying the business.

“I came to him saying I wanted to buy it and keep it a driving range, and kind of carry on the legacy that he had created,” Gailar said.

Gailar recruited a few others to invest, so he could buy the property. “It’s really five friends who all contributed a little bit of money to get everything built,” he said.

Fast forward to June of 2022, and Gailar’s vision became reality. The Acres now features 2 mini golf courses, a Trackman interactive golf simulator,

and the golf center’s first full bar and restaurant. They also added space to just hang out. There are fire pits, cornhole boards and plenty of outdoor tables and seating.

But the new owners didn’t change everything. Gailar himself had memories here, and he wanted to keep and even restore some of the history of the place. Instead of demolishing the two original buildings on the property and starting from scratch, they renovated them.

“Preserving some of the nostalgia, which is preserving these buildings, was important to us because you have so many generations of Cincinnatians who have come here. And they love to come back,” Gailar said.

Gailar harks back to the “barber shop feel” of regulars just hanging out at Etter’s. He wanted to keep the feeling of a neighborhood spot where people know each other. Over the years, the two buildings (the pro shop, and the now restaurant/bar) played a big part in those connections.

“That [building that now houses the restaurant and bar], probably in the ‘60s, was an ice cream shop, in the ‘70s and ‘80s it was an arcade, and in the ‘90s for a period of time it was a cheap deli sandwich shop. Then that closed and it just became storage.”

Gailar and company gutted the building, keeping a few old items they found, including a 1960s Pepsi can that remains on a shelf above the new bar.

The food menu at The Acres’ restaurant is a short selection of what Gailar calls “elevated American classics.” The Acres consulted with Chef LeRoy Ansley, formerly of Queen City Hospitality (Senate), to create the menu. Joey Sack serves as the restaurant’s kitchen manager.

“I think people just think of this place like, ‘Oh they have a roller hot dog and a frozen burger. We tell everyone the food is chef-inspired, chef-created, and the more we can source locally the better,” Gailar said.

One such locally-sourced ingredient is the core of The Acres’ All American Burger: a short rib and brisket ground beef blend supplied by Avril-Bleh Meats & Deli. “We tried a whole bunch of hamburger blends, but we chose AvrilBleh. It was the best blend we had had, and being a local butcher it just made sense.”

Popular burger joint Zip’s Cafe uses a beef blend from Avril-Bleh, but Gailar says the blends are not the same, and The Acres burger is also a different style.

“Our patty is a thinner smash burgerstyle patty, and we load up the burger with a thick cut of tomato, pickle and lettuce and carmelized onions. Then we created kind of our own ‘Acres sauce,’ which is like a garlic aioli,” he said.

Keeping with the classic American theme, Gailar likens The Acres’ French fries to McDonald’s fries – they look the same, and they’re thin and crispy.

Another signature item is the fried chicken sandwich, made with a 24-hour buttermilk-brined chicken thigh, piled high with sweet and sour slaw, pickles, pickled red onion and garlic aioli. The Tomato Sandwich is a seasonal staple with thick tomato, lemon aioli, herbs, greens and sunflower seeds on toasted sourdough bread. Add bacon or an egg to kick it up a notch.

Gailar says there are still customers who come to use the driving range and have never stepped foot in the restaurant.

“We don’t have the buzz that some of these Over-the-Rhine restaurants get. So we’ve kind of decided it’s a word-ofmouth restaurant. Every week we get new people walking in saying ‘we heard the food here is really good.’”

A full bar inside the restaurant serves a Rhinegeist-heavy selection of local brews in cans and on tap. Other options at the bar include craft beers from brewery Mother Stewart’s in Springfield, and a wide variety of High Noon flavors.

Patrons can order food and drink from a walk-up window or order inside at the bar. The 11-seat U-shaped bar provides most of the indoor seating. A corner counter with a view of the property provides a few more, but limited indoor seating means al-fresco is usually the way to go. Staff will bring your food to you at the outdoor tables. For the recent cold months, The Acres erected a temporary heated tent with lots of seating. Gailar said they’re currently designing a permanent structure that, along with the kitchen and bar, would be able to accommodate events and parties.

But the current state of The Acres is just the beginning of Gailar’s vision. There’s still unused space, including a previously overgrown area that now reveals a section of the Mill Creek replete with fish, frogs and turtles. And Gailar has no shortage of ideas for the reimagined property.

Gailar likes the idea of The Acres as a sort of summer camp for adults. (Though you’ll find families with kids here any day of the week).

“If you think of if you went to a summer camp as an adult, what would you like to do? I’d like to go hit golf balls, play mini golf, sit down by the creek, kayak, canoe, fish – all things that we could eventually possibly do here.”

The Acres, 9941 Reading Road, Evendale. Info: acrescincinnati.com.

The Acres serves up “elevated American classics” like an heirloom tomato sandwich and gourmet burger.

PHOTO: BRIAN CROSS

MUSIC

Still Kicking

The New Pornographers’ A.C. Newman discusses the making of the band’s most recent album, Continue as a Guest, ahead of their Cincinnati show.

BY JASON GARGANO

A.C. Newman is as surprised as anyone that The New Pornographers are still kicking. It’s been more than a quarter of a century

since Newman — the band’s longtime lead singer, guitarist and chief songwriter — first gathered some friends in Vancouver, Canada to unite on an

outfit that would create some of the best power pop albums of the era (including but not limited to their classic debut, 2000’s Mass Romantic, and the

equally stellar follow-up, 2003’s Electric Version).

The sextet — which still includes singer Neko Case, herself a distinctive fixture as a solo artist over the last two decades — recently released its ninth studio album, Continue as a Guest, this time through indie staple Merge Records. Sure enough, it’s another catchy, hook-infested effort marked by buzzing guitars and ear-pleasing

The New Pornographers

PHOTO: EBRU YILDIZ

male/female vocal interplay. But it’s also somewhat of a departure, a more atmospheric, sometimes pensive set heavy on keyboards and featuring a curious injection of saxophone.

CityBeat recently connected with Newman, who spoke via a fuzzy cell phone line from his home in Woodstock, N.Y., where he’s lived for the last 15 years and where he and the band wrote and recorded Continue as a Guest

CityBeat: What was it like being able to work at home during the tumult of recent years?

A.C. Newman: One of the great things about moving (to Woodstock) is that I built myself a little studio space, so I have a little separate building where I can go to and always work, which was my dream for a long time. It’s nice to be able to do that. When the pandemic came around, I was kind of ready. It didn’t stop me from doing what I could do. There were a lot of things I felt lucky about — having a house and some space and a couple of acres to live on — but having a place to work and continue making music felt like a great thing.

CB: How did the shutdown and the pandemic impact the writing of the new songs?

ACN: I’m sure it affected the way it sounds but I don’t know, because I can’t look at the alternate history, the sliding doors where we make this record under a different scenario. Although it was made during crazy circumstances in the world, we’ve always made records long distance. From the beginning, it’s always been hard to get everybody together. We’ve always been fighting to get Neko for a couple days. Then I moved to New York. We’ve always been long distance, so I think it was easier for us to make a record during this time than for other bands because it was par for the course. We know how to do this. We know how to be a long-distance band.

CB: You’ve also talked about some of the songs being a reaction to social media and the current political climate. Why did you want to investigate that angle?

ACN: The last few years made me question where we all are in life — what our place is in society. The last few years make you ask yourself, “What am I a part of? Do I want to be separate? How much do I want to be connected? How much do I want to be separate from this country that I live in?” There are a lot of those ideas in the record, and it’s also about just getting older or being a musician and playing music for a long time and trying to figure out your place.

CB: My favorite song on the new album is “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies.” It’s more atmospheric than most of your previous stuff. It has that insistent bass line and that saxophone, but then there’s the interplay between your and Neko’s vocals, which is a signature Por nographers move. Do you think of that vocal interplay when you’re writing?

ACN: No. In that case I just needed somebody there. I could have kept singing, but it was out of my range, so I thought, “Why don’t I bring Neko in?” And it was like, “OK, this works.” That’s kind of how it’s always been. That comes out in the arrangement when we play it. We’re trying to figure out, “OK, what’s the best way to do that.” That was never really planned. I think it’s just our style. I think a lot of people just have their unintentional style that comes out when they make music, and that was one of our things.

CB: There are a few songs on the new record that seem to be a departure in terms of your approach to the lyrics, as if they’re coming from a different perspective. How did that come about?

ACN: Yeah, I think the way I’m writing lyrics is changing a bit. I used to be a little bit more impressionistic. In the past I was trying to say something but I didn’t care if anybody understood. Sometimes I would throw a line in just because I like the way it sounded. It didn’t matter if it didn’t have anything to do with the rest of the song or if it didn’t have any meaning. I was more into pop music as non-representational art. Now I feel a little differently. One of my all-time favorite songwriters is Leonard Cohen. I’m obviously no Leonard Cohen, but I’m trying to write more like him in that he writes in a kind of direct way but it’s also very surreal. I feel like I’m a painter trying to paint in a different way.

CB: You had a long, successful run working with Matador Records. Now you’re with Merge Records for the first time, another iconic indie label. What was it like working with them this time?

ACN: I like them and respect them as people. I really like the music they’ve put out. This is our first record with them, but I trust them. I feel like (label owners and Superchunk band members) Mac (McCaughan) and Laura (Ballance) are essentially the same age as me. I feel like they’re peers. I feel like they get it. They come from being in a band. I’m pretty psyched to work with them.

The New Pornographers play Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. May 8. Info: memorialhallotr.com.

AUGUST

WILSON’S SEVEN GUITARS

APRIL 23 – MAY 14, 2023

With live blues and lyrical dialogue, August Wilson’s Tony Award-winning play promises a soulful exploration of the ties that bind and the chords that hold us together.

WORLD PREMIERE!

ORIGIN STORY

By NATHAN ALAN DAVIS

MAY 20 – JUNE 25, 2023

With delightfully unexpected turns and an ensemble of endearing characters, Origin Story is a world premiere comedy about life’s biggest questions and the surprising ways we find the answers.

For tickets, visit CINCYPLAY.COM, or call 513-421-3888

Photo of Dimonte Henning by Michael Brosilow. Photo of Amira Danan by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

THE CAROL ANN AND RALPH V. HAILE, JR. FOUNDATION presents

SOUND ADVICE

COWBOY JUNKIES

May 11 • Memorial Hall

It has been 35 years since the Cowboy Junkies changed the indie roots soundscape with the release of their seminal second record, The Trinity Session, in 1988. Amidst the ‘80s focus on synthpop, hip-hop and electronic music, the Toronto, Ontario-based Junkies recorded a much-heralded set of lo-fi, minimalist Americana in a church as a reaction against the prevalent electro scene of the day. With their rich, somnambulant covers of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and Rodgers/Hart/Timmins’ “Blue Moon Revisited,” the Junkies mined a new dimension of blues, country, folk and pop music.

Junkies’ Margo Timmins describes their debut to the Irish Times last November, “The album is very distinctive, and so when people think of us they think ‘quiet.’ We are still relatively quiet compared to other bands, of course, but we are by no means the same band that made Trinity Session. There is still that element of what we do — acoustic sets and open space songs — but it isn’t all that we are anymore.”

Here it is 2023, and the Junkies are releasing their resonant 18th studio record, Such Ferocious Beauty, this summer during their country-wide tour. This is their first collection of new original music in five years. The three Canadian Timmins siblings, Margo on vocals, Michael on guitar and Peter on drums, with Alan Anton on bass, have long formed the core of the band, and their family dynamic naturally guides their long collaboration. The Cowboy Junkies blend

originals and covers from all stages of their career on this tour.

Cowboy Junkies play Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. May 11. Info: memorialhallotr.com. (Greg Gaston)

NATALIE MERCHANT

May 14 • Taft Theatre

It’s been nearly a decade since music fans have been able to enjoy new music from Natalie Merchant, but the time has finally come. On April 14, Merchant dropped Keep Your Courage, her first album of new music in a long, long while. Now she’s embarking on U.S. and European tours, during which she’ll make a stop at Taft Theatre.

Between her time in 10,000 Maniacs and her lauded solo career, Merchant has spent 40 years in the spotlight. One of her biggest singles, “Wonder” off her debut solo album, Tigerlily, from 1995, even broke the Billboard Top 20. Since then, Merchant has remained relatively under the radar, though still followed by a loyal fanbase.

Her new album, 10 years in the making, was mostly written during the pandemic. Though, in the liner notes for Keep Your Courage, she writes that it’s, “...not an album about the coronavirus or the chaos it caused. For the most part, this is an album about the human heart.” Merchant used the album as a chance to share new names and sounds with her audience, too. The album features Celtic folk group Lúnasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh.

Her tender voice and heartfelt lyricism remain constant across her career and her new album.

Cowboy Junkies

PHOTO: 3.26, FLICKR

Natalie Merchant

PHOTO: JUSTIN HIGUCHI, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Natalie Merchant plays Taft Theatre at 8 p.m. May 14. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: tafttheatre.org. (Deirdre Kaye)

LEO KOTTKE

May 19 • Ludlow Garage

Listening to Leo Kottke’s music is a unique and confounding experience. Whether playing a 6- or 12-string guitar, you could swear that two or more people are responsible for the music that Kottke produces on his own. Melodies skip and meander; the glassy sweep of a slide is suddenly introduced, blurring notes like a Windexed window; or a familiar theme like “America the Beautiful” may make

an unexpected appearance. All the while, steady bass strings are thumbed, keeping the song from collapsing in a cacophony of steel and wood, like a block hastily yanked from a Jenga tower.

Kottke first gained attention on John Fahey’s label Takoma Records with the 1969 album 6- and 12-String Guitar, referred to simply as the “armadillo record” by fans. Containing some of his best compositions like “The Driving of the Year Nail,” his arrangement of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” and the feverish “Vaseline Machine Gun,” 6- and 12-String Guitar has proven itself to be an enduring and widely influential record for budding finger-pickers working within

the American primitive scene, a style of guitar playing developed and popularized by Fahey.

Kottke’s influence can be heard in the music of countless guitarists, from the late Jack Rose to James Blackshaw, William Tyler and Daniel Bachman. As of late, he’s revisited a collaboration with Phish’s Mike Gordon, resulting in 2020’s Noon. Kottke and Gordon first worked together in 2002, producing Clone and later the well-received Sixty Six Steps in 2005.

For a mostly-instrumental musician, Kottke is also a born storyteller with a quirky sense of humor and deadpan delivery. A glance at his song titles alone — like “When Shrimps Learn to Whistle

— will confirm this. At live performances, he is known to entertain his audience between songs with amusing anecdotes taken from his life. The story of his time in Oklahoma, titled “Whitey and the Chicken” from a 1981 concert, is a perfect example and can be found on YouTube. Leo Kottke is an astoundingly talented guitarist and songwriter, and an American treasure. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness a true troubadour in action.

Leo Kottke plays Ludlow Garage at 8:30 p.m. May 19. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: ludlowgaragecincinnati.com. (Derek Kalback)

Leo Kottke

PHOTO: DMILESON, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CROSSWORD

Across

1.  Tomato sauce herb

6.  ___ Horsemen

ORDER IN THE COURT

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

10. Music from Tokyo, for short

14. Very strange

15. Top of the heap

16. Rugelach restaurant

17. African capital originally called Fort-Lamy

19. Middle of March date

20. “Well isn’t that something!”

21. Univ. hurdle with Subject Tests

22. Soccer league with an annual El Classico

24. Beginnings

26. “What’s up everybody!”

28. Highly-admired person, in a phrase

33. Practice space recordings, often

36. Gets up

37. Mingle at a reception

38. Verve

39. One discovering vaccines

40. Gets hitched

41. ___ shot

42. Ivan with a racket

43. Chucked

44. Beans from a Caribbean island

47. ___ Chris Steak House

48. Punctual

52. Charles Foster Kane’s estate

55. Home improvement letters

56. Brooks of comedy

57. With a cast of thousands

58. Court sport, and a literal hint to this puzzle’s theme

62. Spot for a choker necklace

63. It sometimes comes with great interest

64. Woman’s name that means “beloved”

65. They’re thrown over one’s head

66. “Othello” theme

67. Romeo’s bouquet

Down

1.  Drum played with hands

2.  “The Shield of Achilles” poet

3.  Place with an orange Monopoly property card

4.  It can make you hot

5.  Movie times?

6.  Personalized bit of a smart watch

7.  “My my my!”

8.  corda pedal (piano’s damper pedal)

9.  Colorful shiny pointer in a meeting

10. Beatmaker with the classic album “Donuts”

11. Job for the feet

12. Mixed Martial Arts star Taktarov

13. City with a notable tower

18. Can, in Chelsea

23. Hannibal’s hurdle

25. English boys school founded by King Henry VI

26. Salon selections

27. In and of ___

29. Candy bar with crisped rice

30. Signal blocking device

31. One doing the dirty work in D.C.

32. Annual film/interactive media/music festival, for short

33. Iconic record label whose first release was Rick Rubin’s punk band Hose

34. Scat queen

35. Kahului Airport island

39. Put two zeroes on the end of

40. Sharpen

42. Sing, as praises

43. Like some mortgages

45. Yields to pressure

46. Kitchen wrap

49. Mosque leaders

50. Every person for themselves fight

51. French pronouns

52. Lawless hero

53. Top of the heap

54. Hitting the spot

55. Dolce & Gabbana rival

59. Free electron, e.g.

60. Cager in a wine, gold, and black jersey

61. Celebrity book

LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

Bertha G. Helmick

attorney at law

DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE

DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE

DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE

Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart. Easier on your wallet.

Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart. Easier on your wallet.

Starting at $500 plus court costs. 12 Hour Turnaround.

Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart. Easier on your wallet. Starting at $500 plus court costs. 12 Hour Turnaround.

810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl., Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.651.9666

810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.651.9666

Starting at $500 plus court costs. 12 Hour Turnaround.

810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl,