CityBeat | March 23-April 5, 2022 by Chava Communications

BY JASON GARGANO

After a nail-biter of a lockout, baseball is back. But will the Cincinnati Reds ﬁnally hit a homer of a season?

FEBRUARY MARCH23, 23,2022 2022- MARCH - APRIL 5, 8, 2022 | CITYBEAT.COM

VOL. 27 | ISSUE 06

PUBLISHER TONY FRANK

ON THE COVER: GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK PHOTO: THE CINCINNATI REDS

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BY JASON GARGANO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MORGAN ZUMBIEL, ANNE ARENSTEIN, BRIAN BAKER, STEPHEN NOVOTNI, BRIAN CROSS, HAYLEY DAY, JANE DURRELL, BILL FURBEE, JASON GARGANO, GREGORY GASTON, AUSTIN GAYLE, MCKENZIE GRAHAM, NICK GREVER, KATIE GRIFFITH, KATIE HOLOCHER, BEN L. KAUFMAN, DEIRDRE KAYE, JAC KERN, HARPER LEE, MADGE MARIL, ANNE MITCHELL, LAUREN MORETTO, TAMERA LENZ MUENTE, JACKIE MULAY, JUDE NOEL, GARIN PIRNIA, KATHY SCHWARTZ, MARIA SEDA-REEDER, LEYLA SHOKOOHE, SAMI STEWART, STEVEN ROSEN, KATHY Y. WILSON, P.F. WILSON

After a nail-biter of a lockout, baseball is back. But will the Cincinnati Reds ﬁnally hit a homer of a season?

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NEWS

The Roebling Bridge could finally reopen this spring. P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge Sets Potential Reopening Date The restoration project continues as “engineers work to design plans for additional repairs to address deeper masonry stone deterioration” BY M A I JA Z U M M O

nother day, another bridge. Just a few weeks after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a memorandum of understanding outlining plans to jointly apply for and use federal dollars to revamp the recently reopened but still sucky Brent Spence Bridge, Greater

Cincinnatians may get even more good transportation news. On March 12, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced that the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge between Cincinnati and Covington is “on track” to reopen this spring. The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since

Feb. 15, 2021, when it started undergoing a restoration project. (Pedestrians have still been able to use the bridge’s walkway during construction.) The Roebling was originally slated to reopen in November, but the “restoration project continues as engineers design plans for additional repairs to address the deeper masonry stone deterioration uncovered in a section of the archway during the project,” the KYTC says in a release. “Like the citizens and businesses in Covington and Cincinnati, we are eager to reopen the bridge, but we’re committed to doing it right by not cutting any corner that may compromise safety,” says KYTC District 6 chief district engineer Bob Yeager (District 6 oversees the 11 counties in Northern Kentucky). “Repairing a structure this old sometimes means making necessary adjustments in repair plans to address things

that can only be best seen once you’re ‘under the hood.’ Our consultants and crews are working as hard as they can to safely recommission this historic structure,” Yeager continues. The Roebling opened in 1867 to connect Covington and Cincinnati and carries around 8,100 vehicles a day. The bridge closed on April 17, 2019, due to sandstone fragments breaking off the east side of the north tower and reopened that August after the installation of protective netting around deteriorating portions of the bridge’s upper towers. The Roebling temporarily closed again for two days in November 2020 “due to numerous and continued violations of the bridge’s weight limits,” a tweet from the Covington Police Department explained at the time. The longer-term bridge restoration project began in 2021.

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Report: Cincinnati Has One of the World’s Most Affordable Housing Markets. But What Does ‘Affordable’ Mean, Really? BY A L L I S O N BA B K A The hot real estate and rental markets have caused big issues in Cincinnati in recent years — especially during the pandemic — but a new report says that the Queen City still is one of the most affordable metros in the entire world. According to the 2022 Demographia International Housing Affordability Index from the Urban Reform Institute and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, which was released this month, Cincinnati has the 9th-most affordable housing market as of the third quarter of 2021. The report compares 92 major markets in eight countries. The index is ranked primarily on income in relation to housing prices, a situation that started becoming unsustainable several years back and has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020. And the Urban Reform Institute and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy say that the crisis isn’t over. From the report’s introduction:

Incomes haven’t risen with housing prices in recent years, data shows. P H O T O : V L A D I M I R K U D I N OV, P E X E L S

As the pandemic and lockdowns continued into a second year, the movement of households from denser urban neighborhoods to larger homes, often with large yards (gardens), in suburban and outlying areas has continued. The result has been to drive up prices at unprecedented rates in many markets. As a result, many low-income and middle-income households who already have suffered the worst consequences from housing inflation will see their standards of living further decline. As we approached publication, there were two stark reminders of the worsening situation. The National Association of Home Builders announced that nearly 70% of U.S. households cannot afford the median (middle) priced house, while Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that house prices had virtually doubled in just six years.

According to the report, housing is considered to be “affordable” when its median multiple is at or below 3.0 (the median multiple is “a price-to-income ratio, which is the median house price divided by the gross median household income,” the report notes). “In a well-functioning market, the median priced house should be

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affordable to a large portion of middleincome households, as was overwhelmingly the case a few decades ago,” the report asserts. Unfortunately, only one city in the entire world — Pittsburgh — is under the “affordable” threshold, with a median multiple of 2.7. The Cincinnati metro comes in at No. 9 with a median multiple of 3.8 and is considered “moderately unaffordable.” Cleveland is No. 7 with 3.7. Louisville is in a three-way tie at No. 10 with 4.0. Only two metros in other nations crack the top 10 of any type of affordability: Edmonton, Canada (tied at No. 4 with a 3.6 median multiple) and Glasgow, Scotland (tied with Cleveland at No. 7 but with 3.8). Hong Kong, Sydney and Vancouver have the least affordable markets worldwide. “The number of severely unaffordable markets rose 60% in 2021 compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic year,” the report says. In 2019, the United States had 14 severely unaffordable housing markets; that number jumped to 27 in 2021. The report adds that the combination of high-income shoppers buying larger houses further from urban cores due to working from home during the COVID years plus supply-chain issues that slowed the construction of new housing have contributed heavily to the disruption in affordability.

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Demographia’s 2022 housing affordability report is based on government data, real estate sources, market information and other entities. Cincinnati leaders are looking at ways to alleviate the housing squeeze locally. This month, Cincinnati City Council approved Mayor Aftab Pureval’s proposal to use excess fiscal year revenue as a dedicated source for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. That allotment, the mayor said, could be $1 million to $2.5 million annually. Earlier this year, Pureval and Reggie Harris, council member and chair of the equitable growth and housing committee, proposed a comprehensive housing incentive and zoning review to guide Cincinnati’s future growth and boost mixed-income affordable housing instead of concentrating incentives in neighborhoods that already are wealthy. Harris also is looking to streamline the process for developers who apply for low-income housing tax credits and state support. But Cincinnati has an uphill battle with interests that aren’t local. In 2021, outside investors gobbled up houses in metropolitan areas across the country — including in Greater Cincinnati — at an alarming rate, The Washington Post found after analyzing data from real estate company Redfin. According to the analysis, investors bought nearly one in seven homes sold

in America’s top metro areas, the most in at least two decades. The analysis considers real estate investors to be large corporations, local companies, or wealthy individuals who generally don’t live in the properties they are buying, who either look to flip the homes to new buyers or rent them. In Cincinnati, 15% of homes were purchased by investors in 2021, which is more than those purchased in a typical metro area, the Post found. In 2015, investors bought just 7% of the housing stock. In November, CityBeat reported that Cincinnati was one of the most-booked cities on Airbnb, which analysts say also has contributed to the housing squeeze. Throughout much of 2021, local monthly rents — as in permanent housing, not vacation rentals — increased in year-over-year comparisons. In June, the overall median rent in Cincinnati was $1,200 per month, an increase of 17% over the previous year. Rents increased for Cincinnati studios, one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments in June, a report from Realtor.com says. At that time, people in Greater Cincinnati paid $1,025 per month for a studio, $1,155 for one bedroom and $1,275 for two bedrooms. That equates to studios going up by 2.5% over the previous year, single bedrooms by 12.7%, and doubles by a whopping 21.4%.

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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MLB Brass, Players’ Association End 99-Day Lockout, and Now Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto Is Ready to Win BY A L L I S O N BA B K A

“We haven’t done enough winning,” says Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto. P H O T O : H AY D E N S C H I F F, W I K I M E D I A C O M M O N S

The Cincinnati Reds’ elder statesman has one directive for the team this year: win. In a March 14 interview with MLB writer Mark Sheldon, Reds first baseman and clutch hitter Joey Votto shares what he wants from the upcoming 2022 season and how he plans to stay healthy. But with the MLB lockout having ended March 10 and team trades finally starting up again, the Reds will look a little different this year, to Votto’s and fans’ chagrin. On March 14, Cincinnati traded AllStar outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners. That’s on the heels of the Reds sending pitcher Sonny Gray to the Minnesota Twins the day prior. In both deals, Cincinnati acquired young players and prospects and cut payroll. And in a recent interview, Reds general manager Nick Krall reportedly said that the club also is “not interested” in

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luring back outfielder Nick Castellanos, who joined Winker at the 2021 All-Star Game and opted out of his remaining contract in November to become a coveted free agent. Reds fans have been craving a quality postseason berth, something they haven’t truly seen in years. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Reds made it to the Wild Card playoffs but lost the first round to the Atlanta Braves without scoring at all. Before that, Cincinnati hadn’t been to the postseason since 2013. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen in 2021. And Votto is taking notice. “I have higher expectations to be part of other large Major League moments,” Votto tells Sheldon. “That’s without question concerning to me. I’ve been in the same uniform my entire career. We haven’t done enough winning.” With two guaranteed years left on his contract, does Votto think about heading to another team on his own accord

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or through a trade from the higher-ups? That’s not for him to decide, he says. But the lifelong Red — who played for Cincinnati’s minor-league teams before being called up to the big show in 2007 — seems committed to Cincinnati for the long haul. “I have never once in my career asked or even whispered anything like that (a trade). I’ve been loyal to this uniform, to this city, to the contract that I signed,” he says. During the 2021 season, Votto hit .266, dinged 36 home runs and had 99 RBI. Votto also reached a number of significant career milestones last season, including 1,000 runs batted in, 300 homers and 2,000 hits (something only four other Reds players have done). He is only the second National League/ American League player to achieve those marks all in the same season. Baseball experts already are calling Votto a lock for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,

commending his hitting, on-base percentage, slugging and low strikeouts. The Cincinnati Reds went 83-79 during the 2021 regular season and missed out on post-season action with only a few games to spare. The 2022 MLB season will start on April 7 after months of stalled negotiations between franchise owners and players. Until March 10, the league had been in hibernation since December, when team owners forced a lockout after the old five-year collective bargaining agreement expired. During a lockout, free agency is frozen, players can’t use team facilities, practices or games go unplayed, and trade or free agency talks halt. The recent lockout was the first work stoppage since the 1994-1995 players’ strike, which doomed the 1994 World Series.

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BY JASON GARGANO

After a nail-biter of a lockout, baseball is back. But will the Cincinnati Reds ﬁnally hit a homer of a season?

Baseball at Great American Ball Park begins in April this year. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I R E D S

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is the team’s elder stateman. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I R E D S

Editor’s note: This story is based upon team and league information that is accurate as of press time. As hot-stove season continues, players may ﬁnd themselves on other teams by the time you read this. It’s a strange time to be a Cincinnati sports fan — as neglected and winhungry a group as any in the fandom universe. The Bengals, long criticized for their inept ownership and cheap, antiquated ways, made a surprise run to the Super Bowl behind emergent quarterback Joe Burrow and a bevy of uncommonly savvy organizational moves. The rabid fan response to the Bengals’ success, which included the team’s first playoff win in more than 30 years and its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season, proved what old heads have long known — Cincinnati and the surrounding Tri-State region is home to one of most passionate and involved fan bases in sports. We’ll support a winner as robustly as anyone. But winning — at least consistently and at the highest level — has been elusive over the last three decades. An entire generation of fans has yet to gather at Fountain Square to spray Hudy Delight into the air while celebrating a title. Cincinnati’s last major sports championship occurred in 1990, as the Reds swept their way to a World Series win back when George H.W. Bush called the White House home, the Internet was barely a whisper and I was

a freshman in college. While the Bengals were making their historic worst-to-nearly-first Super Bowl run this year, the Reds were one of 30 Major League Baseball teams involved in the sport’s first work stoppage since the 1994-1995 players’ strike, which, coincidently, is the last time the Reds won a playoff series. Mercifully, after a 99-day lockout, MLB owners and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on March 10, clearing the way for a full 162-game schedule (the games that MLB had previously said were canceled now will be made up as double headers). Baseball’s back! But what’s up with our Cincinnati Reds? Despite coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2013, the Reds appear to be in a precarious place. The front office has made a number of puzzling moves since the end of the 2021 season, leading fans to worry that a rebuild is in the works. In November, the Reds traded longtime catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Detroit Tigers. Soon thereafter the team let go of Wade Miley, one of the most effective starting pitchers last year, for essentially nothing. And after the lookout ended this month, the Reds traded Sonny Gray, another established starting pitcher, to the Minnesota Twins for a young prospect. A day later, they jettisoned a pair of fan favorites, third baseman Eugenio

Suárez and outfielder Jesse Winker, to the Seattle Mariners in return for what experts have deemed a mixed bag. Then there’s Winker’s fellow All-Star outfield compadre Nick Castellanos, who opted out of his remaining two contract years to become a free agent. Castellanos said he was open to returning, but it’s clear the Reds have no interest in bringing him back in what would be a longer-term, bigger-money deal; Reds general manager Nick Krall said March 12 that the team had “not been engaged with his representatives.” (Right before press time, Castellanos joined the Philadelphia Phillies.) What additional moves loom for the Reds before opening day on April 7? We’re not sure, but fan reaction to the situation has been strong and unrelenting, yielding the hashtag #SellTheTeamBob, a reference to Reds CEO Bob Castellini. In response to questions about the team’s direction going forward, Krall said in a press release, “We must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system.” In a vacuum, that’s a reasonable response, given the Reds status as a small-market team, but many of the guys they’ve moved were on relatively team-friendly contracts and were well liked in the clubhouse and beyond. A recent report in The Los Angeles Times indicated that Castellini has the smallest net worth ($400 million) of any

owner in the league (for context, two thirds of MLB owners are worth north of $1 billion). Whether that’s accurate or not, the Reds’ ownership has shown a commitment to winning in the past. For proof, see the 2019 offseason — the Reds spent as never before to grab free agents like Castellanos and Miley as well infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Shogo Akiyama in an effort to, as the organization said at the time, “bring a championship to Cincinnati.” The diverging front-office approach between 2019 and the present day is enough to cause whiplash. Yet none other than Reds icon and Cincinnati native Pete Rose, a guy who knows a thing or two about winning and the allocation of finances, backed Castellini in recent years. “I know the guy who owns the Reds, Mr. Castellini,” Rose said in an interview I did with him for CityBeat in 2017. “He’s got a long pocketbook. He’s put a lot of money into the team without results, so it’s not the owner’s fault by any stretch of the imagination.” “If you told Mr. Castellini, ‘You go do this, you go do that, and we’ll win,’ he would go do that and do this. So, it’s up to the people who are putting this team together to get off their ass and make things happen. It’s all about knowing personnel and knowing what the team needs,” Rose continued. So where does this leave baseball’s oldest professional franchise as we look ahead to the 2022 season? Has the

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The Cincinnati Reds are the oldest professional baseball franchise. P H OTO : A L L I S O N BA B K A

pandemic, which hit right after the team’s largest free-agent expenditure ever, affected the team’s bottom line more than fans realize? Is this the beginning of a rebuild, or is it just a reset? A born and bred Cincinnatian, the 80-year-old Castellini no doubt knows how much the Reds mean to generations of fans. But will he ever deliver what has been so elusive in the 16 years since he took the organizational reins?

ROOTS OF A REDS JUNKIE I grew up on the West Side of Cincinnati in the afterglow of the Big Red Machine in the 1970s, which means the Cincinnati Reds have been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. One of the first books I read as a kid was Pete Rose’s Winning Baseball, a guide about how to play the game like a big-leaguer. My grandmother’s house was less than a mile from Rose’s Bridgetown home as well as from the batting cage he used to frequent near Ron’s Roost in the 1980s. My dad once beat the big-leaguer in a game of pinball, a result Rose didn’t take too well; he immediately demanded a rematch. Johnny Bench’s Home Plate restaurant near Northgate Mall was a short drive away. Bench’s nationally syndicated TV show The Baseball Bunch was a Saturday-morning staple in the early 1980s (I would one day, years later, end up painting the gutters on Bench’s home, which is a story for another time). Reds-related talk and paraphernalia were everywhere, and not only in Cincinnati. It’s hard

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to underestimate — or to properly convey to those who weren’t there — just how ubiquitous the Reds’ reach was in those days. I once asked Bill Maher during a phone interview what he knew about Cincinnati. “Nothing,” he said. “Nothing?” I replied. “Well, I loved the Big Red Machine,” he said. For those of a certain age, similar affection abounds. The 1982 season was the first I remember following from start to finish. The voices of longtime Reds broadcasters Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall, which emanated from my old transistor radio, provided the soundtrack to our neighborhood Wiffle ball games. The 1982 season was also the first and only time in Reds history the team would finish with 100 or more losses (101, to be exact), which is kind of amazing given the fact that they’ve been around since the 1880s. That was a rude awakening for a franchise coming off a decadeplus run that would cement the Big Red Machine as one of the greatest assemblages of talent in MLB history. But the losing season didn’t matter to my young, baseballobsessed self. Long-forgotten names like Eddie Milner, Paul Householder, Bruce Berenyi, Wayne Krenchicki and Alex Trevino — in addition to better-known figures like Bench, Mario Soto, Ron Oester, Tom Hume and Dave Concepcion — will forever live on as Reds legends in my mind. Of course, the team wasn’t down for long. After five years away, Rose came back to Cincinnati in 1984 as a player-manager, breaking the all-time MLB hits record in 1985, leading the Reds to four straight

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“We haven’t done enough winning,” Reds veteran Joey Votto says. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I R E D S

winning seasons from ’85 through ’88 and leaving a talented roster for Lou Piniella, who would guide the team to a World Series title in 1990 — a year after Rose was banned for betting on baseball. Decades later, for better or worse, Rose remains synonymous with Cincinnati and the Reds.

‘WE HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH WINNING’

Today’s baseball fans start young, just like this story’s author did. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I R E D S

The Reds will open the 2022 season on the road (April 7, against the Atlanta Braves) for the first time in 32 years — which, coincidentally, is the last time they won the World Series (the Opening Day parade, postponed the last two years due to the pandemic, reportedly will return for the home opener April 12 against the Cleveland Guardians). The roster is obviously in flux, but one thing seems clear amid the current organizational turbulence: Joey Votto, the best Reds player of his generation and a likely lock for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is not going anywhere. The beloved first baseman, who has long said he wants to remain a lifetime Redleg, has a no-trade clause in his contract and can veto any move out of Cincinnati. He also is due $57 million over the next two years (with a $20 million club option in 2024), which is a massive sum for possible trade partners to consider for a 38-year-old.

Great American Ball Park is once again ready to welcome Reds fans. P H OTO : DA N I E L L E S C H U ST E R

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Will fans fill Great American Ball Park during another rebuilding year? P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

Elsewhere, the pieces for the Reds to at least compete are there, but a lot has to go right. Young catcher Tyler Stephenson looks like a future All-Star if he can take another step forward as the full-time starter. Second baseman Jonathan India, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, seems nowhere near his ceiling. Promising youngster José Barrero will battle versatile veteran Kyle Farmer for the shortstop spot. The oft-injured veteran Moustakas will take over as the everyday third baseman, which is concerning. With Winker and Castellanos gone, the outfield is the biggest question mark. Former top prospect Nick Senzel has to stay healthy and productive, which might be a pipe dream. Tyler Naquin was a nice surprise last year, but can he do it again? Akiyama has been a disappointment at the plate in his first two years after coming over from Japan, but he remains the team’s best glove in the outfield. And who knows what to make of Aristides Aquino? Barring additional roster subtractions, the ever-mysterious Luis Castillo — who has Cy Young stuff if he can command his pitches more consistently — and Tyler Mahle — who keeps getting better — will anchor the starting rotation. Vladimir Gutirréz showed flashes last year; he’ll need to be better in 2022. Top prospects Hunter Greene and Nick

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Lodolo should make their MLB debuts, but what kind of innings loads will they be allowed to take on? The bullpen is likely to find the dynamic Lucas Sims in the closer role, with a number of solid if not exactly inspiring options behind him. Want a prediction? A .500 record and a third-place finish in the NL Central seems optimistic, but that could be enough to earn a playoff berth in the newly expanded playoff structure (now six teams from each league rather than five). Votto recently spoke with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com about concerns that he might not be around to help deliver the team’s first playoff success in a generation. “It would be a shame for the last clinching game of my career to be in an empty stadium in Minnesota (when the Reds nabbed a postseason berth in a battle with the Twins on Sept. 26, 2020),” Votto said. “I’m grateful for that moment but I have higher expectations to be part of other large Major League moments. That’s without question concerning to me. I’ve been in the same uniform my entire career. We haven’t done enough winning.” We agree, Joey. For more Cincinnati Reds info, a game schedule and tickets, visit reds.com.

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The 2022 season begins April 7. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I R E D S

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LEBOWITZ Tuesday, Apri Aprilil 12, 2022 ● 7:30 PM Aronoff Center · Procter & Gamble Hall CincinnatiArts.org (513) 621-ARTS (2787)

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Jazzmeia Horn

April 1-2, 8 p.m.

ARONOFF CENTER J A R S O N - K A P L A N T H E AT E R

Three-time Grammy nominee, Jazzmeia Horn, makes her Cincinnati debut. She brings songs from her latest album, “Dear Love,” plus a selection of originals and covers with a style reminiscent of musical greats Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

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Tickets:

artswave.org/jazz 513.621.ARTS & A S S O C I AT E S

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MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022

ARTS & CULTURE

Life Is Drag at Wave Pool features both video portraits and images of video stills. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY RACHEL RAMPLEMAN

Drag Is Art

Cincinnati native Rachel Rampleman documents the vibrant alternative-drag community in Life Is Drag at Wave Pool BY K AT I E G R I F F IT H

wo days before the opening night of her new exhibit, artist Rachel Rampleman is working late at Wave Pool gallery in Camp Washington. She adjusts her camera and lighting, preparing to shoot a video portrait of local alternative-drag artist Aura Tannen. The video will become part of Life Is Drag, an ongoing project that captures the exuberant and unignorable personalities of alt-drag performers challenging gender norms with expressive, individual acts. Rampleman tells CityBeat that “narrowly defined,”

alt-drag “refers to spooky/goth drag, monster-y presenting drag and usually still drag queens. If traditional drag equals RuPaul’s Drag Race, alt-drag equals Boulet Brothers Dragula.” Currently on display at Wave Pool through April 30, Life Is Drag features monitors screening video portraits of performers as well as a wall of more than 200 video stills. Rampleman says the archive will grow throughout her time at Wave Pool; she was awarded a residency at the arts nonprofit through March and April. She will be capturing performances from the likes of Smoke

& Queers Burlesque Troupe and ODD Presents Alternative Drag Haus — two local alt-drag and neo-burlesque companies — until the closing reception with the hope of spotlighting as many performers as she can with her lensbased artistry. “This is really fun and inspiring,” Rampleman says. “These people are just the most interesting, brave, inspiring, creative, kind, inclusive, welcoming people I’ve ever met. So I thought let’s document what they are doing, because I felt that what they were doing was really valid and vibrant and interesting, and more people should see it. I don’t know that most people know this exists in the world, and they’d be better off being exposed to it.” Tannen emerges from their dressing room with purple spiked hair and a blue translucent coat over a purple bikini top and skirt. They are a bit perturbed because they forgot to bring nail glue to apply fake nails, but the detail goes unnoticed among other vibrant

accessories and multi-colored contacts. “I always say the only thing hetero about Aura is her heterochromia, which is a condition in which you have two different eye colors,” Tannen says, referring to their drag persona. “Every time I’m in drag, I have two different eye colors. That’s a staple in my look no matter what.” Rampleman gives Tannen very little direction, urging that she’s simply there to document. Anything goes, “as long as you stay in frame” she says. Forcing an artist to perform in a specific space to stay in camera frame is Rampleman’s least favorite part of the documentation process because the baseline energy of drag is an over-the-top expression of self that often involves wild props, animated dancing and impassioned lip-synching — things that aren’t easily contained or restrained. Tannen, who is a prominent member of ODD Presents, poses in front of a silver backdrop, their fierce profile accentuated by a piercing wig. “Aura” by

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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Honey Stix-Chimera (left) and Aura Tannen get ready for their video portraits P H O T O : K AT I E G R I F F I T H

Lady Gaga begins to play. With a flick of the wrist, Tannen begins to mouth the spoken-word intro to the song. Their intensity builds with the music until they are wildly laughing and twirling, inserting an impressive backbend and swift voguing. “I think it’s really important what (Rampleman) is doing because it’s normalizing drag to audiences who don’t necessarily always think about drag as art,” Tannen says. “Some people think it’s just dressing up and acting crazy — and to an extent it is — but when people see this exhibit they will think, ‘Wait this actually goes deeper than dancing at a club in makeup.’” Rampleman has been documenting alt-drag artists for three years, including in Brooklyn, where she now lives. She has also done residencies in New England and Pittsburgh and hopes to continue the project internationally. She employs similar lighting and framing within each video portrait series to form a cohesive look. The result is a gallery lined with still photos pulled from videos that convey, without words, what alt-drag and burlesque is and what it means to be part of the culture. Traditional forms of drag are still included in Life Is Drag — the more pageant-style feminine looks and campy characters that many people recognize. But the art includes the entire spectrum of genders, regardless of how the performer identifies, and

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the fluidity of gender and radical self expression are the focal points. “What I am hoping to show with this project is that there are also bioqueens/hyper-queens (those who identify as female at birth), drag kings, drag things, drag monsters (and) gender jesters, often doing much more experimental performance art-y drag,” Rampleman says. “I also include neoburlesque performers because I see that as a form of drag as well — maybe just with more strip-teasing and less lipsynching. The main point, though, is we are all doing drag all the time, whether we realize and recognize it as such or not. The name of the project came from a RuPaul quote: ‘We’re all born naked and the rest is drag.’” Two monitors at the head of the Wave Pool gallery complement the still photography and continuously cycle through hours of footage. One monitor is dedicated to the work Rampleman has completed so far in Cincinnati. The other shows Life Is Drag performances captured elsewhere. Gallery guests can control which performance’s sound they want to hear and may even find that a silent portrait is just as powerful as one with audio. If you can’t make it to the gallery, all videos are archived on lifeisdrag. com, along with bios of performers and digital tipping info. Rampleman’s Wave Pool residency is sponsored by prominent local art

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Life Is Drag also features work from the Vance Waddell Collection, incuding Cindy Sherman’s “Untitled (Self-Portrait with Sun Tan).” P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY R A C H E L R A M P L E M A N

Monitors at the gallery screen videos of drag performances. P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY R A C H E L R A M P L E M A N

Artist Rachel Rampleman (far right) poses during an event at the Weston Art Gallery. P H O T O : S C O T T D I T T G E N , P R OV I D E D BY WAV E P O O L

collectors Sarah and Michelle Vance Waddell. Life Is Drag is, in part, a response to selected pieces from the Vance Waddell Collection, which are displayed among the exhibit portraits. Rampleman specifically selected “Untitled (Self-Portrait with Sun Tan)” by Cindy Sherman, a prominent American artist who uses makeup and backgrounds in her images to transform into different characters. The portrait reflects Rampleman’s interest in the theatricality of performing gender, and Sherman’s use of extreme makeup mirrors the craftsmanship and talent seen in the drag profession. Wave Pool typically selects two artists per year for its residency program. It’s

a highly selective, juried process that gives artists a platform to share work that directly responds to communitydriven wants and needs. The organization’s founder and executive director Cal Cullen says there were so many impressive candidates this year that the arts nonprofit couldn’t pick only two. Instead, Wave Pool doubled the number of selected residents, making Rampleman the first of four. “I think Wave Pool in general is all about elevating and working to illuminate the issues of marginalized communities, such as the drag community,” Cullen says. “We have not yet done a specific exhibition around the drag community, and it’s important in

the culture of Cincinnati. I think it really deserves a platform. And the larger community really deserves to know about the issues our drag community faces and should be educated on it.” Rampleman has a special connection to drag culture in her hometown of Cincinnati, and local artists like Stixen Stones of ODD Presents appear in multiple portraits in Life Is Drag. Rampleman says that the artists of ODD Presents and Smoke & Queers have been pivotal in directing her to emerging and seasoned performers. “I think there’s still a ton of people that have no idea that this form of art exists. I do hope that the project is able to educate, enlighten, open hearts,

open minds,” Rampleman says. “I think so long as you don’t have a face or a name to put to these terms that seem off-putting to people, that it’s really easy to just be judgy without having proper context. Just to see extreme, radical self expression is hopefully inspiring to others to maybe push their own individual envelopes a little bit.” Life Is Drag is on view at Wave Pool (2940 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington) through April 30, with a closing reception that features a drag show hosted by ODD Presents 5-8 p.m. April 30. More info: wavepoolgallery.org.

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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LIT

Local Author Jessica Strawser’s Fifth Novel Deals with Death, Hope and an Indie Musician BY N ATA L I E C L A R E

Hope can be a strange and fickle thing. Some days it’s hard to come by, and other days, it shows up unannounced, poised to change our lives. That’s certainly true for characters Nova Huston and Mason Shaylor in local author Jessica Strawser’s latest novel, The Next Thing You Know, which was released March 22 through St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Grounded in current-day Cincinnati and moving seamlessly between the past and the present, Strawser’s latest work explores the power of human connection and the promise of hope against the odds. The contemporary work of fiction — Strawser’s fifth novel — centers on the relationship between Nova, an end-of-life doula with a free spirit and deep well of compassion, and Mason, a gifted Indie singer-songwriter whose rising stardom has been cut short due to a debilitating medical condition. Their paths cross when Mason seeks guidance from Parting Your Way, a holistic practice that helps terminally ill patients find peace with their fate. Mason seems to possess more skepticism than faith in the practice, but then he begins to work with Nova, who quietly battles her own challenges, and hope shows up in its unexpected way. The Next Thing You Know weaves an emotional human drama with romance and touches of mystery (along with plenty of nods to Cincinnati life). St. Martin’s likens the story to “Me Before You meets A Star is Born.” Through the character of Nova, Strawser references a career (or calling) that’s been on the rise since the early aughts: the end-of-life doula, a role that evolved from the hospice movement of the 1960s. Strawser had been researching for a different story when she learned about the practice. “I stumbled on the existence of endof-life doulas and was so interested,” she tells CityBeat. “I thought it must take a really special person to do that job, someone who has really personal reasons for wanting to do that job. And I also thought such a person might easily be misunderstood, which, to me, had the makings of a great protagonist.” Strawser describes the nature of endof-life doulas within the first few pages of The Next Thing You Know. In the first chapter, Mason arrives at Parting Your Way to learn more about their services. Nova’s business partner explains to him that end-of-life doulas help clients achieve “peace of mind as end of life nears,” both emotionally and with the logistics, “so you may be as fully present

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as possible for your loved one’s remaining days.” Strawser says she sourced information and insights from Doulagivers — an online, end-of-life doula training program — and Ask a Death Doula, a weekly podcast that chronicles the “death doula movement” through interviews with leaders, patients, families and death doulas around the world. “If you mention (end-of-life doulas) to other people, I think their initial reaction is that it sounds really sad, that it’s a sad thing to do,” Strawser says. “But actually, they’re so hopeful. It’s really all about finding peace and purpose. Everything that I learned about them had so much positivity.” In The Next Thing You Know, Nova isn’t based on anyone specific, but she represents Strawser’s imaginings of what a character in such a role might be like. “To be an end-of-life doula, I think you have to have personal reasons, and (Nova is) very private about her reasons for doing what she does,” Strawser says. “I think a lot of people think they have her number and that she’s this free spirit. They’re not necessarily wrong, but they don’t know the whole story at all. And that’s OK with her; she doesn’t want anybody to know the whole story. For her, I think Mason is her most challenging client for a lot of reasons, but a big reason is that, to help him, she has to share what she has been through.” Mason, like Nova, keeps a tight lock on the details of his life. But as she guides him along a path toward inner peace, their personal stories unfold, making room for unmistakable moments of connection and, most profoundly, hope. The Next Thing You Know has been met with early critical praise from Publishers Weekly, which called the story “impossibly beautiful.” The publication says, “The author skillfully keeps the plot twists coming, leading to a bittersweet yet ultimately comforting finale. Strawser sensitively handles the grief and pain that surrounds a death, and buoys this with a strong cast of supporting characters.” Strawser’s previous novels include A Million Reasons Why, Forget You Know Me, Not That I Could Tell and Almost Missed You, all published by St. Martin’s Press. Almost Missed You was named to Barnes & Noble’s “Best New Fiction” shortlist, and Not That I Could Tell was a March 2018 Book of the Month selection. A Million Reasons Why was recently released in paperback and

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022

Jessica Strawser P H OTO : C O R R I E S C H A F F E L D

includes a book-club discussion guide. Signed copies of both A Million Reasons Why and The Next Thing You Know are available at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Rookwood Commons. The bookstore celebrated the latest novel’s launch with an in-person discussion, book signing and specialized Brontë Bistro menu on March 22. In addition to her fiction writing, Strawser serves as editor-at-large for Writer’s Digest and has written for The New York Times’ “Modern Love” series, Publishers Weekly and others. In 2019, she was the writer-in-residence at the Cincinnati Public Library. During her tenure, she met with book clubs at library branches all over the city, engaged with local and emerging writers and participated in various literary events around Cincinnati. She says she hopes the publication of The Next Thing You Know will elicit more connections and interactions with the local community — something she sorely missed after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m really looking forward to getting back into the community and seeing

readers face-to-face again,” Strawser says. “In 2019, I was very locally involved and it was great. I loved it. Then everything ground to a halt in 2020. It was a little disorienting and disconnecting, but over the last several months I’ve been meeting with book clubs again, and I look forward to some library appearances down the road. I’m really grateful for all the support from local readers, and I’m looking forward to getting back to that aspect of things.” In-person and virtual book tour events for The Next Thing You Know take place through September, with events being added on a rolling basis. The book is available in hardcover, ebook or audiobook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Bookshop, Indiebound, Joseph-Beth Booksellers and Penguin Bookshop. Discover upcoming events for The Next Thing You Know and more about author Jessica Strawser at jessicastrawser.com.

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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CCM Blends Scientiﬁc Inquiry and Contemporary Opera in Philip Glass’s ‘Galileo Galilei’

CLASSICAL

BY A N N E A R E N ST E I N

Galileo Galilei stage concept design by CCM professor Mark Halpin P H O T O : P R O V I E D BY C C M

In January of 2020, Greg Eldridge joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as the associate professor of opera directing. He made his directorial debut in late February with a well-received production of Handel’s gender-bending comic mashup Partenope. It also had the dubious distinction of being the last series of live performances before UC went into pandemic lockdown two weeks later. With the welcome return of live performances to CCM stages, Eldridge is deep into rehearsals for Philip Glass’s opera Galileo Galilei, as delighted to be working in person with students as he is with the work itself. The work will be onstage at CCM March 31-April 3. Philip Glass is one of the 20th century’s most influential and prolific composers. His extensive catalog includes 23 operas and chamber

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operas. Galileo Galilei debuted 20 years ago and Eldridge views it as a meditation on the intersections of science, art and religion. “It’s important for us to be discussing these tensions, particularly in this country where there have been any number of restrictions placed on scientific endeavor and artistic expression, often in the name of systems that not everyone shares,” Eldridge tells CityBeat. Dubbed the father of modern science by Albert Einstein, Galileo was acclaimed throughout Renaissance Italy as a leading astronomer and mathematician, as well as the inventor of the first timepieces and telescopes. He ran into trouble with the Catholic Church’s Roman Inquisition in 1616, when he was forced to recant his theory of heliocentrism — the earth revolving around the sun.

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Galileo maintained his silence as well as his devotion to the Catholic faith but in 1633, he was again tried for heresy with harsher consequences: his works were forbidden to be published and he was condemned to house arrest for the rest of his life. The opera opens in 1642 with a blind Galileo on his deathbed, recalling his life through 10 brief scenes that run backward in time. Singers take on multiple roles, some portraying characters in their youth and old age. The libretto by director Mary Zimmerman and poet Arnold Weinstein is based on Galileo’s letters to friends and family. Eldridge says that he and the singers discovered a cyclical pattern in the opera’s structure. “We’re going backward and forward in time, seeing relationships not working, coming full circle from creation to death,” he says. “We’re also seeing the

life cycle of Galileo as a mirror to our time on earth.” The cyclical pattern is also seen in the score. Glass’s music uses Minimalism, known for repeated phrases with gradual variations. His mastery transforms repetition into a haunting and compelling score, especially in Galileo. It’s a sonic challenge for the audience and especially for singers and directors. “It’s fiendishly difficult for singers and the big rule for them is to count,” Eldridge says. “My job is to create a space in which they feel supported enough that they have the freedom to count and room to see the conductor.” Galileo’s favorite daughter Maria Celeste, a nun who shared his love of science, has the opera’s toughest music. “It’s some of the most unfair writing I’ve seen in a contemporary piece,” Eldridge says. “It’s impossibly high and

Greg Eldridge P H OTO : A N D R E J U S P E N S K I

we’re very fortunate to have students who can do it. And all our singers are brilliant.” Eldridge and his cast studied theatrical styles embedded in the opera to propel the story and develop characters. “There are aspects of Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theater, aspects of American Realism in terms of method acting and aspects of physical comedy going back to French farce,” Eldridge says. There are also aspects that are unspoken, especially the intersection of art and science. Eldridge collaborated with a student choreographer to create movement underscoring the creative tensions. “In mathematics and classical dance, everything is exact, technique-driven, built on perfection and form,” he says. “But the things they’re describing are so chaotic and messy and creative. A classical ballet can describe kingdoms being destroyed. A carefully structured scientific formula describes how planets smash into each other and destroy each other and create new life. We use dancers bridging classical and contemporary dance just as this opera tells a classical story in a modern form.” Eldridge has high praise for CCM students and its facilities across disciplines, speaking from extensive experience with over 60 productions in eight countries. He studied opera directing in his native Australia and is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco and London’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at Covent Garden, where a special associate director position was created for him in 2015. Galileo Galilei marks Eldridge’s third production of a Glass opera. UC’s return to in-person classes facilitated working with students in lighting design, digital media, costume and wig design. “We’re trying to provide as much

opportunity as we can for technical design students to develop their suite of skills alongside the performers,” Eldridge says. Technical facilities and studio setups add to CCM’s already impressive production arsenal. “When I walked into the design studios for hair, wigs and makeup design, I thought I was in Covent Garden,” Eldrige says. “It’s such a professional setup, just like at the biggest national houses.” Students in digital media and lighting design are creating projections for the set using circular designs, like planetary orbits and halos, to reflect the tension. The opera ends with Galileo’s final flashback to his childhood, watching an opera about the constellation Orion, composed by his father, and performed by the Camerata, a Florentine group acknowledged as the crucible for European opera. The irony isn’t lost on Eldridge. “At the end, Galileo recalls what inspired his passion for astronomy and how it affected all of his relationships, especially with his favorite daughter,” he says. The performers sing a chorus of random syllables, gradually dying out until reality passes into abstraction. Although Galileo’s story has tragic relevance as contemporary scientific inquiry is ridiculed and suppressed, Eldridge and his students aim to transcend a meta narrative. “What’s important is that we’re moved,” Eldridge says. “And there’s ample opportunity for that.” CCM Opera presents Galileo Galilei at the Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village, Clifton, from March 31 through April 3. Tickets are $39.50. More info: ccm.uc.edu/onstage.html.

THE FLAMING LIPS + HEARTLESS BASTARDS

APRIL 5

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FOOD & DRINK

A spread of food available from vendors at Oakley Kitchen Food Hall P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

Affordable Variety Is the Main Course in Oakley CityBeat dining critic Pama Mitchell explores another Cincinnati neighborhood’s culinary delights BY PA M A M IT C H E L L

f there’s a faster-growing city neighborhood over the past decade than Oakley, I haven’t heard about it. As of this spring, the 74-acre Oakley Station development south of I-71 includes almost 500,000 square feet of retail and office space along with 462 residential units. Restaurants aren’t a major part of the development, but you can find quite a few eateries in the surrounding neighborhood, where relatively affordable rental units have

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attracted younger people with sufficient disposable income — enough to keep a lot of the restaurants hopping, especially on weekends. Oakley isn’t a restaurant mecca like downtown or Over-the-Rhine, and you won’t find a lot of what I would call “fine dining.” But Red Feather Kitchen (3200 Madison Road, redfeatherkitchen.com) certainly has the best claim on that designation. The food is high-end, both in terms

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of price and quality, especially the meat. It will set you back over $50 for either a double-cut pork chop or a portion of melt-in-your-mouth beef short rib, so it’s the kind of place where people spend an evening — which is appropriate, since there’s a short supply of performing arts here to rush off to, unlike downtown. Red Feather’s bar puts out some of the best cocktails in town — the Penicillin ($14) is first-rate — and the wine list won’t disappoint even genuine connoisseurs. It’s a spacious restaurant with several dining rooms and a separate room for the bar, along with valet parking. On a recent visit with friends, we definitely enjoyed the drinks. Foodwise, our favorites were roasted beet salad with hazelnuts and arugula ($9), a special entrée of mussels and frites ($18), and the aforementioned short rib ($51). At the opposite end of the fancy scale, you’ll find Oakley Kitchen Food Hall (3715 Madison Road, oakley-kitchen. com), a warehouse-style assortment

of casual food and drink stands with enough space and variety to accommodate the hungry masses. The first floor of what had been an antique mall houses more than a half-dozen separate eateries and an excellent bar, while the second floor is reserved for seating. In the evenings, enough people come to fill up two or three nearby parking lots, looking for everything from a Hawaiian stand called Onolicious (which offers grilled Spam, an island favorite) to the meat specialists Parts & Labor and Khana, an Indian grill, among several others. It’s a good destination for couples or groups that can’t agree on what kind of cuisine they want for dinner. The upstairs area is spacious enough to accommodate more tables than are there now, which would come in handy on busy Saturdays. I can recommend smoked brisket with a choice of two sides from Parts & Labor ($16), enhanced by a tangy housemade barbecue sauce. The Mediterranean stand, Olive Tree, dished out a nice lamb kebab with spiced rice

Aglamesis Bro’s

The rosemary roasted carrot sandwich at The Wheel Oakley

P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

Bee Cakes at the Sleepy Bee Cafe

Oakley Wines

P H OTO : K H O I N G U Y E N

P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

and a green salad ($18.99). And The Cutaway makes an Old Fashioned ($12) as good as any of those found at my favorite Over-the-Rhine cocktail bars (the Cutaway is actually manned by the team behind OTR’s Longfellow). One of my favorite Oakley destinations, and a relative old-timer, is Sleepy Bee Cafe (3098 Madison Road, sleepybeecafe.com), which opened in 2013. Its upbeat, sunny décor is full of whimsy, all flowers and bumble bees with an undergirding of Earth-friendly activism. It serves breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week, and in my experience, the place is always packed. I’m partial to the breakfast dishes, though I do find it hard to select just one. I’m usually torn between Ember Avo Toast ($13) — described as “a fork and knife breakfast toast with avocado, one over-easy egg” and other tasty ingredients on toasted multigrain bread — and a scramble, in particular the one with chorizo, black beans, pepper and

white cheddar ($13). But wait, there’s the pancakes, a whole assortment of styles made with either buttermilk batter or a gluten-free version “made from bee-pollinated flower.” Depending on the cake’s size and whether you want one or two, prices range from $3.75-$12, with the bee-pollen batter cakes at the higher rate. If it’s later in the day and you’re craving more savory dishes, Sleepy Bee also offers a selection of bowls, sandwiches, salads and soups. Check out the green salad called Bee Chop ($11.50), a delicious mix including raw beets, carrots, celery, broccoli, avocado, mixed seeds and a hot-honey vinaigrette. I’m partial to wine bars, and the neighborhood has a good one at Oakley Wines (4011 Allston St., oakleywines. com), a boutique shop whose basement bar pours a selection of interesting, often unusual wines and offers cocktails, beer and a satisfying menu of “bites” to accompany your libations.

I’ve tried the cheese plate ($16) and bread and butter ($5), the latter of which may sound uninteresting, except that it’s Allez sourdough with herbed caper butter: four thick slices that went especially well with a glass of Verdicchio ($11), a fragrant Italian white. There are enough food choices to make a meal of it, if you so desire. Occasional special events include Sunday Suppers, featuring a more elaborate menu with wine pairings, and seasonal Tuesday “Raclette Nights” based on a fragrant French cheese that’s melted and poured over meat and potatoes. Oakley also is the home of the ice cream parlor Aglamesis Bro’s (3046 Madison Road, aglamesis.com), which even Graeter’s fans should put on their list to visit. Not quite as long-running in its hometown as Graeter’s — 1908 vs. 1870 for the latter — Aglamesis is among the elite confectioners in our region. The shop opened its marblefestooned Oakley storefront in 1913,

and it’s still a beauty, with handmade chocolates and other candies as wonderful as the ice cream. And yes, there’s more: the local coffee chain Deeper Roots (3056 Madison Road, deeperrootscoffee.com) started with the Oakley location and is among the city’s most elite coffee purveyors. Seafood lovers will find much to like at Oakley Fish House (3036 Madison Road, oakleyfishhouse.com), and a little carry-out called The Wheel (3805 Brotherton Road, thewheeloakley.com) offers Italian grab-and-go entrees, sides, breads and sweets along with an array of inventive sandwiches on Saturdays. I haven’t tried The Wheel yet, but it has been a frequent Best Of Cincinnati staff pick winner, especially for the carrot sandwich ($11), featuring rosemary roasted carrots on housemade focaccia with garlic yogurt, romesco and kale. If you’re not a resident of this ‘hood, you might consider making the drive, too.

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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MUSIC

Greta Van Fleet P H OTO : SAC K S & C O. P R

Less Zep, More Greta Greta Van Fleet shows off more influences, originality and depth on its sophomore full-length album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate BY B R I A N BA K E R

t’s strange how certain aspects of a band’s sonic presentation can inspire a critic’s wrath and yet make a fan swoon. The late, great Lester Bangs cited the first Black Sabbath album as a Cream rip-off, while Rolling Stone infamously dismantled Led Zeppelin’s inaugural album as a pale imitation of the Jeff Beck Group and called Robert Plant a sub-par copy of Rod Stewart. All of those criticisms were ignored by music listeners, whose impassioned loyalty to the bands and albums in question pushed them into gold/platinum sales and Hall of Fame careers. Oddly enough, a similar construct still

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exists in contemporary music, with those long-ago-dismissed bands and albums being used as yardsticks for upand-coming groups. Greta Van Fleet understands the vagaries of Rock criticism as well as any band of the past decade. The quartet — formed in tiny Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012 and based in Nashville, Tennessee since 2020 — found themselves on the negative end of Zeppelin comparisons with their 2018 debut, Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Critics focused on Greta Van Fleet’s Page/Plant similarities (Plant himself praised the band for its parallels to Zeppelin), ignoring the

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022

complexities of their sonic recipe in favor of chastising them for the simplicity of their translation. “We all have different inspirations,” bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka tells CityBeat. He and his brothers, twins Josh Kiszka (on vocals) and Jake Kiszka (on guitar), comprise three-fourths of Greta Van Fleet, while childhood friend Danny Wagner has been the drummer of record since 2013. “I find myself deeply rooted in Jazz because I got into the keyboards; Motown and Jazz were really captivating to me,” Kiszka says. “Daniel was always into Folk — he’s a great guitar player, too, and he was influenced by mid-century Folk like Peter, Paul and Mary and John Denver. Josh was infatuated by things that were really different, like World music, South African stuff. And Jake always gravitated toward things that were heavy and had an attitude, like White Stripes and everything from Cream to Led Zeppelin.” “We came from different places but we all listened to the same music growing up — Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the old Blues

guys like Robert Johnson. We all see eye-to-eye in the same way,” he adds. Ironically, by the time of Peaceful Army’s release, Greta Van Fleet had already notched several hit singles — including “Highway Tune” and “Safari Song” — been invited to play Elton John’s Oscar party and made their national television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Two months after the release of the Peaceful Army, the band’s 2017 eight-song EP From the Fires was nominated for four Grammy Awards, ultimately winning for Best Rock Album. And in January 2019, they were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Pretty heady stuff for a bunch of twentysomethings from rural Michigan. “It all happened so fast,” Kiszka says. “We came out of a family vacation, did SNL, flew over to Japan for a short tour, then to Australia for a short tour there, and then flew into L.A. for the Grammys. It just never stopped. We were never home. We never had the time to sit back and think about what was going on.” The payoff was worth it, though.

“SNL was a bit nerve-wracking, but we knew we were a great band and we had that covered,” Kiszka says. “We always have each other to lean on. When you’re a unit, it’s much easier to go forward with confidence. I think it’s a primal instinct.” Last April’s release of Greta Van Fleet’s sophomore album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, was met with a somewhat more muted response. The album debuted at No. 7 of the Billboard 200 chart, and in the top slot of the Top Hard Rock and Top Rock Album charts. The singles pulled from the set, “My Way, Soon” and “Age of Machine,” also did quite well. But reviews were mixed, and there were no Grammy nominations at year’s end. While Kiszka notes the band might have been slightly disappointed in the Grammy snub, particularly for The Battle at Garden’s Gate producer Greg Kurstin, they don’t necessarily place a lot of stock in the award. “We don’t hold the Grammys as the highest echelon of success,” he says. “It’s really about the live show for us. If we can pump those people full of energy and love and inspiration, and they can pump us up with the same thing, that feedback loop happens. And when all those people leave, I hope they take that energy and put it out into the world and create their own stuff and make a difference in the world, which is what we all want to do.” For Greta Van Fleet, The Battle at Garden’s Gate represented a major leap forward in the studio. The band’s approach to songwriting wasn’t substantially different — some songs on The Battle at Garden’s Gate were actually written before the material on From the Fires — but they found a kindred spirit in producer Kurstin and greatly expanded their ideas on how to arrange their music. “We got lucky with Greg,” Kiszka says. “The first time in the studio, we started talking about albums, like Odessey and Oracle by the Zombies, and Hans Zimmer’s Ambient scores and all the great Western soundtracks and John Williams and his stuff. We recorded ‘Light My Love’ and put together that arrangement, and when it was done, we were like, ‘Yeah, this is how we have to make this album.’” The Battle at Garden’s Gate represents a significant evolutionary step for Greta Van Fleet as they embark on a path that will likely see even more growth. It’s an impressive leap for a sophomore album. “Everything that came before Garden’s Gate was minimalism,” Kiszka says. “It was pretty bare bones, nothing was buried, you could hear every instrument and every overdub perfectly clear. That was great for what it was, but the album we really wanted to make, we

couldn’t have gotten away with right out of the gate...accidental pun. Garden’s Gate is almost like a soundtrack to a movie that’s not been created. It’s widescreen. It’s cinematic.” Part of the new album’s charm comes from the result of Greta Van Fleet’s mashing up of old equipment and new technology, marrying that intersection with their big-picture vision. “We used microphones and keyboards from the ’40s and modern programs designed to take entire tracks and slow them down or speed them up,” Kiszka says. “We fused this all together. Some of the guitar tones were inspired by the Beatles, but then we took them to the next level. We had the songs. It was about layering them and creating a sonic environment so you can close your eyes and have this clear image of where you are and what kind of scene you’re watching, like reading a book almost.” “This is the album we always wanted to make and that defines Greta Van Fleet as it currently is,” he attests. “As that evolutionary trail keeps going, we’ll see.” Kiszka notes that the making of Garden’s Gate has had an impact on the way Greta Van Fleet approaches their early work (“It still holds the same idea and energy, but now it’s presented in a more mature way when we play these songs live,” he says), but the real effect of the past five years will likely be found on the band’s next album, which they began writing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teaser songs may show up in the band’s current set list, but the fact is that Greta Van Fleet has a very well-defined sense of self, and if there are changes in the group’s songwriting dynamic, it will be a natural advancement, another logical piece of the Greta Van Fleet jigsaw puzzle. “On Garden’s Gate, I wouldn’t say anything significantly changed on the songwriting front, but I think it’s still quintessential Greta Van Fleet because we took songs that existed around 2015 or 2016 and revamped them and recreated them,” Kiszka says. “That’s also a metaphor for artists in general. You have to recreate yourself, shed skins and create new things, and the fun and excitement translates.” Greta Van Fleet plays the Heritage Bank Center (100 Broadway St., Downtown) on March 29. Tickets start at $49. As of press time, a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination is required. More info: heritagebankcenter.com.

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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SOUND ADVICE Kishi Bashi

Friday, April 1 • Madison Theater Has it really been a decade since Kaoru Ishibashi — better known via his performing name Kishi Bashi — released his full-length debut, 151a, a dense, richly layered effort inspired by everyone from The Beach Boys and Steve Reich to Animal Collective and Sufjan Stevens? A classically trained violinist who studied at the Berklee College of Music, Ishibashi initially sharpened his Pop chops as a contributor to songs by the likes of Sondre Lerche, Regina Spektor and of Montreal. He also was a founding member of Electro outfit Jupiter One, but over the last decade he’s stepped out as a solo artist, dropping four full-length studio albums. Besides the aforementioned debut, there’s 2014’s Lighght, 2016’s Sonderlust and 2019’s Omoiyari. It’s no surprise that Kishi Bashi’s records feature plenty of violin and other strings; less expected is their keen, kaleidoscopic Pop sensibilities, which range from otherworldly ethereal to textured foot-stompers, often driven by electronic synths and shiny production values. Kishi Bashi’s longtime label, Joyful Noise Recordings, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of 151a with an expanded reissue of the album that includes demo versions of each song. The corresponding tour will feature Ishibashi and his band running through the album in full while also sprinkling in selected tunes from the rest of his discography. “I think when people get emotional about music, they are reacting and connecting to the humanity that the artist has successfully channeled,” Ishibashi says in the press materials announcing the current tour. “I poured my heart and personhood into this album in an act of catharsis, and 151a launched my career and remains one of my most popular albums to this day. As I look back and listen to 151a on the occasion of its 10-year anniversary, I hear how much I’ve matured, and how I’m still the same. I love simple melodies and strings and analog synths.” Doors are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $23 in advance and $25 at the door. Get more info at madisontheater.com. (Jason Gargano)

Kishi Bashi P H O T O : R A C H A E L R E N E E L E VA S S E U R

Flaming Lips and Heartless Bastards

Tuesday, April 5 • Andrew J Brady Music Center The last couple of years have been hard for everyone. Along the way,

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The Flaming Lips P H O T O : B L A K E S T U D D A R D, AT R I A C R E AT I V E

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022

however, The Flaming Lips have offered a shiny spot in all of this mess. When everything else was awful, isolating and still new and oh-so-strange, The Flaming Lips found ways to stay connected with their fans. Whether it was DIY projects or adorable videos of frontman Wayne Coyne’s first kiddo, Bloom, fans could count on a distraction from their favorite band on social media. The Lips even put together in-person performances for fans who wanted to stand in their own personal plastic bubbles — literal bubbles as COVID-19 protection — and safely enjoy some new tunes. Always the “performance artists,” they performed for us when it was hard to find anyone else who could. The Flaming Lips have long been that kind of reliable presence, though. When my daughter was just a tiny babe and hated sleep, The Flaming Lips’ music videos seemed to lull her into contentment, even if she was still awake. From their most popular song “Do You Realize??” to one of their first big singles “She Don’t Use Jelly,” their dreamy music and bold, blurry and colorful videos were exactly what she needed.

Later, we moved on to live videos, and the plastic bubbles, giant unicorn wings and robots all caught her attention. She’d zoom in on the videos, zoom out on reality and, soon enough, zonk out for the night (I promise that’s a compliment). Now that the worldwide, two-year shitshow that has been COVID-19 seems to be starting to wane, The Flaming Lips are no less vital to their fans’ joy. They’re finally hitting the road! After eons, we can finally see what kind of wild and crazy show Coyne et al have put together to accompany 2020’s album, American Head. Plastic bubbles will surely make an appearance. You will no doubt feel like you’ve entered some sort of Willy Wonka-produced wonderland. You might even worry someone slipped you some acid. But my kid and I promise, it’ll be the best, most vibrant trip of your life. Doors are at 6:30 p.m. As of press time, a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination is required for entry. Tickets start at $42.50. Get more info at bradymusiccenter.com. (Deirdre Kaye)

UPCOMING CONCERTS alt-J and Portugal. The Man April 8, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION

Jack White

AJR

May 10, Riverbend Music Center

Breaking Benjamin

April 13, Andrew J Brady Music Center

May 11, Andrew J Brady Music Center

Waxahatchee

Sum 41 and Simple Plan

April 13, Woodward Theater

Justin Bieber

April 19, Heritage Bank Center

Olivia Rodrigo

April 22, Andrew J Brady Music Center

Journey

April 24, Heritage Bank Center

H.E.R.

May 13, Andrew J Brady Music Center

Garth Brooks

May 14, Paul Brown Stadium

Danzig

May 14, Andrew J Brady Music Center

The Who

May 15, TQL Stadium

Tears for Fears

April 26, Andrew J Brady Music Center

May 20, Riverbend Music Center

Gavin DeGraw

Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town

April 29, Hard Rock Casino

May 22, Riverbend Music Center

Khruangbin

April 29, Andrew J Brady Music Center

The Smashing Pumpkins

May 27, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION

Leon Bridges

May 6, Andrew J Brady Music Center

MARCH 23, 2022 - APRIL 5, 2022 |

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