CityBeat | March 6, 2024

Rep. Greg Landsman Tells CityBeat What He Said to Benjamin Netanyahu During Middle East Trip

Landsman pushed for a two-state solution during his 90 minutes with the Israeli prime minister, but Netanyahu isn’t budging anytime soon.

BY MADELINE FENING

Congressman Greg Landsman (OH-01) has returned safely from a trip to the Middle East where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers of defense in Egypt, Jordan and Israel as part of a House delegation for “strategic discussions on the Israel-Hamas war.”

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks that killed upwards of 1,200 people in Israel, the freshman congressman has been both supportive of the Israeli government and sympathetic to the human toll in Gaza, which now creeps closer and closer to 30,000 dead, many women and children. Notably, Landsman, who is Jewish, has criticized pro-Palestinian protestors who call the actions of the Israeli government genocidal, saying anti-Zionist rhetoric is inherently antisemitic. Ultimately, Landsman tells CityBeat he wants to see hostages returned home, aid delivered to Gazans

and self-governance for Palestinians to ensure lasting peace in the region, but his push for a two-state solution runs counter to the wishes of Netanyahu. As recently as Feb. 21, Israeli lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to back Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, specifically citing international pressure to do so.

Returning Feb. 23, Landsman told CityBeat what he learned during his trip, what points were made during his 90 minutes in the room with Netanyahu and what sort of weight a freshman congressman can bring to a room with one of the world’s most powerful leaders.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CityBeat: Very few members of congress have visited the Middle East since

Oct. 7. Why did you choose to go?

Greg Landsman: This has had such an impact on people here, obviously, all over the world and the country, but also here in Greater Cincinnati, Southwest Ohio, the First District. We have folks here who have loved ones in Israel, we have folks here who have loved ones in Gaza. They’ve lost loved ones. There are Americans in Israel, there are Americans still in Gaza and there are Americans who are hostages.

I think going to a place and seeing firsthand is really important. It’s why I went to the border, you get a much clearer understanding of what’s happening, and who the main folks are. And that is, I think, one of the best things to do in order to have the most impact.

One of the many reasons I wanted to do public service, I remember how close Israelis and Palestinians got to a

peace agreement and a two-state solution. And the huge role that American leadership played in that, the visual of President Clinton standing there with [Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin] and [chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat], you know, is like, forever, etched in my mind. And I think we have to get back to that place where we have U.S. leadership that is fully committed to getting to that sustained peace and a two-state solution.

CB: All eyes are on Rafah right now — how close in proximity were you?

Landsman: So we started in Cairo, met with the ministers of defense in Egypt, Jordan and Israel. And so we started in Cairo but then went out up to Rafah and got a much better understanding of the humanitarian crisis and the response that there are, you know, 150-175 trucks getting into Rafah every day, but that’s not enough.

CB: What did Rafah look like? What did the situation resemble?

Landsman: On the Egyptian side, you only see trucks waiting to get in. I mean, it’s just lines of trucks and fields of trucks. Every morning there is a shipment that goes in, you do not see from Rafah anything really on the Gaza side. I will say, on the Egyptian side, you are seeing the Egyptians putting in place

Rep. Greg Landsman and other delegates meet with Egyptian leaders PHOTO: EGYPT MFA SPOKESPERSON ON X

measures to ensure that there isn’t this mass exodus into Egypt, it’s a serious concern for Egypt. They do take those who are seriously injured, the Egyptians, and get them to care. There are some folks who’ve been able to get out, we’ve been able to help get some folks out, I think 1,600 Americans. They believe there’s about 50 Americans left in Gaza, immediate family members, so there have been folks who have been working with the State Department to get immediate family members out of Gaza. We’re trying to get now an agreement for additional family members, because there’s just a lot of people that have been left behind.

CB: What did you take away from visiting the border into Rafah?

Landsman: I have a much clearer sense as to what has to happen. They really only have two points of entry, they have to open additional crossings, and that is something that we spoke directly to the prime minister and the minister of defense about, how important it is to dramatically improve the humanitarian aid getting into and distributed throughout Gaza. There seems to be a recognition that that is hugely important, and that there are already plans to open additional crossings and points of entry, and setting up humanitarian corridors and humanitarian safe zones where there is the humanitarian aid that is needed: food, water, medicine, gas. They have to move faster and be clearer and more communicative on these plans, but there was more happening on that front than I had appreciated, but it has to happen faster.

CB: What stood out during your meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu? What did that room feel like?

Landsman: It’s a very intense discussion. It was very serious, sobering, substantive discussion where folks were being very direct with one another. And that’s the only way, I think, to handle a situation like this.

I have been in meetings with Netanyahu before. I think he is a very skilled politician, and you have to rise to the occasion if you’re going to have any real impact in terms of being able to make really compelling strategic arguments. The sense he gave us was that he heard it, and he would repeat it back. Now, that could mean that that’s where they are, it also could mean that he’s just a very skilled politician. To me, the message has to be compelling, and you have to be disciplined, [saying] over and over [that] no one is denying Israel’s need to remove Hamas from Gaza, but there has to be an end that has to come very quickly.

CB: How quickly?

Landsman: Weeks. The word weeks was repeated over and over, on both sides. And the humanitarian aid, it has to be amped up dramatically. There were, from the prime minister and others, real examples of what was happening and what is going to happen in terms of dramatically increasing humanitarian aid getting, not just into Gaza, but to the people who need it, because that is an issue.

And then that third piece, which is communicating over and over and over that there is a commitment on Palestinian self governance, and ultimately, a two-state solution. There are lots of folks who are there, a lot of Palestinians and Israelis based on polling and what I’ve heard who are there already, who want and are committed to a two-state solution, and [there are] a lot of Palestinians and Israelis who aren’t there right now. But we have to get there.

CB: Netanyahu has been clear that he won’t change his mind and support a two-state solution. Do you see there being a change in leadership in Israel in order to get to a two-state solution?

Landsman: It’s up to the Israelis, right? It’s a democracy, they’ve got to pick who they want to do all of the post-war work, you know, rebuilding in Israel. I mean, you know, there are communities that were ostensibly destroyed in terms of just the sheer number of people that were killed or taken, and there have been hundreds of thousands displaced because of what’s happening in the north. And then there is this need to resolve these really big questions, not just with Palestinians, but the larger region and pulling a regional coalition together that can create the conditions for a real sustained peace and a two-state solution and to get Iran to stop funding these proxy armies, because it is destabilizing.

CB: As a member of Congress, do you think your presence in the room with Netanyahu that day carried as much weight as a meeting with someone like Biden?

Landsman: No, I mean, the president and the secretary of state and others in the administration obviously carry the most weight. I do think that I went with the armed services folks because they do carry weight and have influence, though I think it’s what happens when you get in the room. How compelling can you be? And that requires, I think, a lot of research and intentionality and preparation, the discipline to be as focused and compelling as possible. And I felt very good about us delivering the right messages and doing it in a very strategic way.

Cincinnati Officer Accused of Using Police Database to Access

Woman’s Phone Number

BY MADELINE FENING

ACincinnati Police Officer has been reassigned to desk duty following criminal allegations related to accessing the personal information of a 19-year-old woman.

Officer Timothy Lutz, 56, was indicted on Feb. 26 on two felony counts of unauthorized use of the Regional Crime Information Center (RCIC), the database officers use during traffic stops. Prosecutors told CityBeat that Lutz allegedly entered the RCIC in December 2023 to access the phone number of a 19-year-old woman, sending her at least one text message.

Lutz, who has been with the department for more than 20 years, has been reassigned to a non-patrol desk duty position while the criminal process plays out, according to Ken Kober, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the department’s union. Kober told CityBeat that Lutz’s alleged activity came to light after a complaint was filed.

“It’s very easy to verify whether or not you’ve used this database now, whether you use it for your official capacity or for a personal use, which is clearly prohibited,” Kober said. “In this case, it is my understanding that there was a complaint filed.”

While Kober said Lutz has been with the department for decades, officers are re-certified on the RCIC system every two years. He said the process includes training with clearly defined rules for accessing the database.

“Prior to taking the test, it explains what the legal purposes are, that this is extremely sensitive information

and that there are consequences if you abuse the access that you have,” Kober said. “These are frustrating cases. I understand why the public’s concerned. They should be. These are serious allegations.”

Lutz will remain on desk duty through the end of his criminal proceedings, then city officials will determine if he gets to keep his job. If Lutz is terminated, he’ll have the right to request an appeal through the FOP, but Kober said the union is not obligated to take on the appeal.

“He could come to us, he could not come to us,” Kober said. “[In 2022] we had an officer that was in a similar situation. He came to us asking us to appeal his termination. We declined to take it.”

The case from 2022 involved former CPD officer Darryl Tyus, who pleaded guilty to charges related to stalking his ex-girlfriend. Tyus was fired from the department in January 2023; he’s currently serving a five-year probation order.

It’s unclear what penalties Lutz could face if convicted, but Kober said a conviction for abusing the RCIC leaves little to no pathway for continuing a career in law enforcement.

“It is also important to note that he is entitled to due process. We’ll see how the court case plays out,” Kober said. “But cases like this, if they are resolved with some kind plea or ultimately go to court and get convicted, it really is a death penalty for a police officer, it kills their career.”

Lutz’s next arraignment is scheduled for March 8.

Cincinnati Police Department’s district one headquarters

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

The Officer Arresting Chad Doerman Did Not Read His Rights in Full, Now the Defense Wants His Confession Thrown Out

BY MADELINE FENING

AClermont County judge has yet to decide whether a confession made by Chad Doerman, the man accused of killing his three children, should be used as evidence at his trial.

Doerman is accused of shooting and killing his three young sons, ages 3, 4 and 7, on June 15, 2023. He faces nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping and four counts of felonious assault.

Clermont County investigators said Doerman originally confessed to the murders soon after his arrest, saying he planned the murders, lining up his three children and executing them with a rifle. Prosecutors said one of the boys tried to run away into an open field before Doerman chased him down, dragged him back to the house and killed him. The boys’ mother was present during the scene and sustained a gunshot wound to the hand. Despite his confession, he later pleaded not guilty to the charges in front of a judge.

Doerman’s lawyers have asked Clermont County Common Pleas Judge Richard Ferenc to throw out statements made by Doerman after his arrest, saying his Miranda rights were not read in full and that detectives questioned him for hours without a lawyer present.

The Miranda rights

While on the stand Feb. 28, Detective Michael Ross, who led the investigation, said he read Doerman his Miranda rights verbally, though he admitted he did not read those rights in full. He said he was holding a card listing the Miranda rights at the time.

“Word for word? No,” Ross told the defense attorney.

“Well, you left out some pretty important parts, didn’t you?” the attorney asked Ross.

“No, I think I covered the important parts and he understood that he had the right to an attorney and that he had the right to an attorney if he could not afford one. Those are the important parts, and he understood that,” Ross answered.

“You did say, ‘You have a right to talk to

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY CLERMONT COUNTY SHERIFF'S

a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions,’ but the part on the card goes on to say, ‘...and to have a lawyer with you during questioning,’” said the attorney. “You did not read that part, did you?”

“No,” answered Ross.

When asked why he did not read Doerman the Miranda rights card in full, he said he probably should have.

“I’m not a robot,” Ross said. “I probably should have read the entire card, but I’m not a robot.”

The attorney

According to the motion filed by Doerman’s defense team, Doerman asked for a lawyer early on in the investigation but was not appointed one.

“I’ll wait for a lawyer,” Doerman told detectives, according to the motion. “Give me a couple of days and let me talk to a lawyer so I can get nice, good answers.”

But according to Ross, the individuals Doerman mentioned as being the “family’s lawyers” — one being his dad, another his aunt — are not trained attorneys.

“Neither name that he gave me were even close to lawyers,” said Ross.

Ross said Doerman went on to change the conversation after mentioning the family “lawyers.”

“He just keeps talking about something unrelated to the lawyer issue that I was trying to clarify,” Ross said.

Doerman brought up legal representation again later on in the interview, saying “Who’s the lawyer?” but, according to Ross, shrugged when investigators responded.

“You tell me,” Ross told the court he said to Doerman, saying it seemed like Doerman didn’t care if he had legal representation. The interview moved forward.

Judge Ferenc said he will review the motion case over the next month.

Doerman remains incarcerated at the Clermont County Jail on a $20 million bond.

His trial is scheduled for July. Doerman faces the death penalty if convicted.

Chad Doerman, 32, has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder for the shooting deaths of his three young sons, ages 3, 4 and 7.

OFFICE

Strength in

Strength inFrame

Romain Mayambi captures the beauty of movement in unconventional places

BY KATRINA ERESMAN

It’s late January at a coffee shop in Clifton, and I’m waiting for Romain Mayambi. The Cincinnati-based photographer, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is on his way to becoming a self-taught great, and has agreed to tell me his story. I pull up his website again while I wait.

As a gray dusk falls outside, I scroll through a warm and bright assembly of portraits, athletes and funky editorial. I am one of tens of thousands following Mayambi’s colorful, high-energy work via Instagram. His visual storytelling has captured everything from street-style fashion to athletes in action. What started as a random hobby has turned into a skilled art form, connecting people, places and communities frame by frame.

Mayambi walks in right on time, wearing a bomber jacket and a friendly smile. He’s just come from editing the latest in his series of “athletes in unconventional spaces.” Mayambi works as a risk analyst full time, so photography is like a second job. But he doesn’t seem tired. He’s as bright and energetic as his photos. We find a table and take a seat.

Maybe it was fate

Mayambi has been taking photographs since he was a freshman in college studying finance at the University of Cincinnati. He’s curious and observant. That, combined with his love of fashion, made him an avid people watcher and a natural behind the lens.

“I wanted to be able to capture those moments and those people,” Mayambi says. So he picked up a camera. “It honestly just sparked out of nowhere.”

The way Mayambi tells it, becoming a photographer was borderline fate, the trajectory of which began when he was 14. Mayambi’s family wanted to move from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the U.S. They had no specific destination in mind, but a family friend suggested Cincinnati.

“Sometimes I think it’s kind of random. Like, Cincinnati of all places?” Mayambi says. “Everything happens for a reason. We were meant to come to Cincinnati and put our roots here.”

A few weeks after their move, Mayambi’s mother enrolled him and his siblings at Aiken High School. The staff and the students made the transition easy. He felt welcome at his new school, comfortable even. He made friends and found a community. Mayambi attributes some of his sense of home here to the way he was treated in high school. Without that experience, maybe it would have been harder to find the confidence to pick up a camera.

“Do you ever have moments where you try to imagine what things would be like if they went differently?” Mayambi asks. “Like, if we moved to California or something, maybe I wouldn’t have done photography.”

His first subjects were fellow UC students, whose personal style caught his eye and imagination. Mayambi — who is very well dressed — had an eye for fashion even as a freshman, and decided to photograph the people around him.

“At first I was about to start walking up to them with my iPhone,” he laughs. “But my friends are like, ‘that’s kind of weird.’”

Determined to take the more professional approach, Mayambi borrowed a camera

PHOTO: ROMAIN MAYAMBI

Cincinnati photographer

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chris Evans at Madison Bowl

from his brother and started shooting. He learned to approach strangers and initiate conversations out of nowhere. He prioritized comfort and professionalism.

“Through that I was able to meet super cool people who are friends with me to this day,” Mayambi says.

Mayambi didn’t have mentors or teachers to show him the ropes. He learned through experimentation and YouTube videos. Being self-taught in this way allowed him to develop a unique style from the ground up. Certain elements of the art were more intimidating than others — like lighting, which he put off learning for the first few years. “I didn’t know where to start,” he says. But the interest always overcame the intimidation.

“When I love something I kind of get obsessed,” Mayambi says. “That’s all I’ll do. I’ll just be in my room watching YouTube videos about lighting.”

It’s all about the people

Community is key to how Mayambi approaches his photography. Many shoots are a collaborative effort, with friends assisting and models sharing ideas throughout the process. His series “Your Flower” highlights people in the city who are actively creating community spaces, events and opportunities to connect. Mayambi gives each person flowers, takes their portrait and asks them questions about community, collaboration and art. The project is part showcase, part gratitude.

“I feel like we have a lot of amazing people in this city who make these moves,” Mayambi says. “I want to show appreciation.”

Mayambi is a very affable person, easy to talk to and be around. That comes through in his photographs. Subjects seem at ease and fully present, almost certainly as a result of Mayambi’s genuine, friendly demeanor. Each model’s personality shines through the picture, making for photographs that feel alive and distinctive.

Curiosity also plays a part. Mayambi has a practice of incorporating interviews into his projects, as with the “Your Flower” series. For another series, he’s talking to photographers across the U.S., “diving deep into what it’s like being a photographer.” This video project is meant to dig into the nitty gritty of life behind the camera, to fill in the information that was missing when he started. There are plenty of videos that recommend cameras or talk about lighting rigs. But when it comes to understanding what it means to people to work in photography, and what it takes to stick with it, Mayambi says there’s not a lot of content.

Now that his audience is growing and he’s becoming more established, Mayambi often gets messages from people asking how and where to start as a photographer. He hopes that these videos will become a resource to

PHOTO: ROMAIN MAYAMBI

share. And he wants to know the answers, too.

“I’m doing it for myself as well, because I’m curious,” he says. “I’m always fascinated by the mind when it comes to creativity.”

Mayambi continues to connect with other artists and collaborators across the country. It seems like his current trajectory could take him to other cities with bigger populations and more opportunities. But a move like that is not on his radar. Instead, much like the subjects of his “Your Flowers” series, Mayambi is committed to putting Cincinnati on the map as a hub of arts and culture.

“This is my home. This is my favorite place to be,” he says. “I’ve learned everything that I know now from here.”

Athletes anywhere and everywhere

Last year, Mayambi shared what would become the first photos in an ongoing series of athletes performing in unexpected places. Two jiu-jitsu fighters stand poised on a red mat in the middle of an empty baseball field. Their movements are mirrored by their shadows. Clouds of the freshly tilled dirt rise from their bare feet. A bright white sun hovers above as one flips the other over his shoulder.

A few weeks later, Mayambi shared part two: boxers in front of Union Terminal. Instead of fighting in a ring (where one might argue they belong), the men face off on bright green grass with Cincinnati’s historic landmark as their backdrop.

Track athletes in Household Books

Romain Mayambi

PHOTO: KYLE WOODFORD

The series continues to unfold, gaining more traction and attention with every new installment. A football player prepares to throw the ball down a lane at Madison Bowl. Track athletes sprint through Household Books. Two masked figures fence in Clifton Market. Each photograph celebrates athletic prowess and strong bodies in their element but out of place.

At the same time, the series reads as a subtle homage to the city that Mayambi calls home. Half of these locations are familiar places, buildings and overpasses one drives by regularly. These are the spots that catch Mayambi’s eye as he goes about his life in Southwest Ohio.

In fact, the entire series started because of a particularly stunning baseball field. Mayambi and his dad were on their way to visit his older brother in Dayton.

“[I was] just sitting by the window, just staring outside, and I saw this dirt that was perfectly tilled,” he says. “I’m like, oh my god. That dirt looks so pretty!”

He was drawn to the setting before the rest of the idea fell into place. Mayambi started thinking about what he would do with a field like that if he used it in a shoot. His vision? Two fighters going at it.

“I thought about like, who do I want the fighters to be?” he says. “And for some reason I’m like, oh, jiujitsu fighters would be perfect.”

He immediately posted a call for jiu-jitsu fighters on Instagram. A friend connected him to their brother, a jiu-jitsu fighter, who had another friend that was into the idea too.

The day after Mayambi found his fighters, he was driving home and felt that familiar tug of fate again.

“Guess what I saw,” he says, wide eyed. “A baseball field with tilled dirt, like literally right next to my house. Immediately I was like ok, found a spot.”

Mayambi does not have a master plan for the athletes series, but he does have a running list of great ideas. Sometimes a location just speaks to him, and he mulls it over until he can decide which athlete would work best there. He also keeps notes on all the different types of athletes he’d like to shoot. And athletes reach out to him, too. He’s even had Olympians show interest, although distance and budget prevent him from taking up certain collaborations.

Mayambi himself is not much of an athlete. (When I ask, he laughs and says “I’ve been busted!”) This opens the door for deeper collaboration. The athletes in his series know their bodies and their sport, so they can contribute ideas that Mayambi may not anticipate.

“It feels like a collective project,” he says. “It’s a 50/50 thing. I’m like, ‘I’ll leave the technical to you guys, and I will capture you guys.’”

Perhaps this collaborative spirit is part of what inspires the remarkable dedication in each athlete at the shoots. Mayambi says they all show up determined to get it right, and they maintain that spirit even when their photoshoot lasts for an hour and a half in the sun.

Positive feedback and enthusiastic support continue to pour in for this series. The athletes, Mayambi’s community of followers, and even random onlookers all seem invested in the project, interested to see where it will go next. By connecting photography, athletic performance, familiar landmarks, and public spaces, Mayambi maintains that thread of curiosity and community that runs through most of his work.

“People are sitting there watching it, enjoying it,” he says of passers-by. “And people feel a part of it.”

And again, Mayambi himself gets to satiate curiosity. His life as an artist and a risk analyst doesn’t have him crossing paths with athletes out in the wild. Through this series, he gets to learn something new.

PHOTO: ROMAIN MAYAMBI

“It’s a different world for me,” he says. “Doing this project allows me to bring it into my world and also get into their world.”

When Mayambi first laid eyes on that neatly groomed baseball field, he didn’t have a story in mind to tell. But as the series continues to grow into itself, something coherent is starting to unfold. It’s a commentary on belonging, and how societal expectations can hinder a person’s ability to feel at home somewhere.

“It just ties back to kind of like the way life is set up,” Mayambi says. “Like these certain expectations in people’s lives. Like ‘Oh, you don’t belong in these places. Only people who look like this belong here.’”

By placing divers in lecture halls and wrestlers on

rooftops, Mayambi isn’t just creating engaging art. He’s rewriting the rules.

“I can place these athletes in these spaces even though they don’t belong there,” he says. “I feel like it translates really well with that story where it’s like, we can do whatever we want.”

As of now, there’s no clear end game to the athletes series. The ideas are too plentiful, and Mayambi is following the momentum. Eventually he plans to showcase the series in an exhibition, and possibly a book. But for now, he says, “I’m kind of just going with the flow.”

Follow Romain Mayambi’s work on Instagram @romainmaya.

Jiu-jitsu fighters in a baseball field across from Spring Grove Cemetery

ARTS & CULTURE

Cracking the Code of a Genius

Falcon Theatre’s play, Breaking the Code, explores the complicated life of mathematician Alan Turing.

PREVIEW BY RICK PENDER

If Alan Turing’s name is familiar to you, it’s probably because you saw Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game a decade ago. Winner of the 2015 Academy Award for its “adapted screenplay,” the film was based on Andrew Hodges’s biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983). Cumberbatch was nominated for an Oscar for his portrait of Turing (1912-1954), the mathematician and cryptanalyst who cracked the German military and naval ciphers during World War II. He also later devised an “automatic computing engine,” the forerunner of modern computers. Turing was a complicated, eccentric genius who also happened to be gay in the mid20th century when homosexuality was a punishable crime in England, a circumstance that seriously affected the last years of his life. The portrayal of Turing in the movie’s award-winning screenplay actually took a lot of liberties with the real man.

For a deeper, more accurate insight into this brilliant man, you might want to attend Falcon Theatre’s adaptation of Breaking the Code, a 1986 play by Hugh Whitemore, which was also adapted from Hodges’s biography of the scientist. The play’s title has a double meaning: Of course, Turing broke the wartime Enigma Code, a breakthrough that certainly saved thousands of lives since it enabled the Allies to win the Battle of the Atlantic and end the war sooner than might have happened otherwise. But he also “broke” the law by pursuing a gay relationship, ultimately being driven

to suicide by his punishment, a different, complex “enigma” to be explored and understood.

Breaking the Code is the current production at Falcon Theatre through the end of the month, staged by veteran local director Ed Cohen. He explains that the play more accurately portrays the man, “the story of who he was, how he saw things, and then what else really happened to him.”

In a recent phone interview with CityBeat, Cohen said in Whitemore’s play, Turing’s code-breaking work is almost an afterthought. “What this play is really about is truth, the belief in mathematics, that mathematics can define the truth. I think Turing is saying the opposite, that you can’t define truth, and math can’t either. It’s always a matter of point of view.”

Turing inadvertently revealed to a

Breaking the Code was his first opportunity to be part of a college drama program, and it opened the doors to other options, including Falcon Theatre, which operates at a more professional level. When artistic director Ted Weil, who has hired Cohen for several Falcon productions, was putting together the current season, he asked which show he’d like to stage, and Cohen was quick to sign on for this one. “I was happy to be revisiting it,” he said. “Maybe now being older and wiser, I might have better ideas.” He likes putting together shows for Falcon. “Their audience likes a bigger variety of material than other theaters. They don’t have to be quite as commercial. They’ve got 75 seats, and they can fill them with people who enjoy this kind of material.”

Cohen calls Breaking the Code an interesting play. The role of Turing will be played by Rick Grant-Coons, who earned a degree in acting from UC’s College-Conservatory of Music before going on to earn a doctorate in psychology. Today he’s a clinical psychologist, but Cohen says, “He’s making an effort to get back to acting again.” His training in psychology certainly adds an element of understanding to playing Turing, who took his own life at the age of 41 in 1954.

policeman that he was a homosexual. “He voluntarily admitted to a crime,” Cohen said, “and he was prosecuted. It ended up ruining his life when his punishment required undergoing hormone treatments to ‘cure’ him.”

“What I find really interesting,” Cohen added, “is that if he had done that eight years earlier, he would never have solved the Enigma Code, and who knows what would have happened with World War II.”

Cohen has a lot of directing experience with Cincinnati area community theaters. He previously directed Breaking the Code when it was staged at Northern Kentucky University in 2008, the only other time it’s been produced locally. Cohen, an attorney with a local firm, is also an adjunct theater instructor at NKU; this term he’s teaching script analysis.

The show has other actors in the cast. “But at its core, it’s really kind of a one-person show with eight other people floating around. … It takes place primarily inside of the head of a genius that none of us can understand.” He believes that calls for an unrealistic approach. “Everything will be expressed very abstractly. I want to really emphasize that this is about him and the dilemma that goes on by being a genius in a world that doesn’t adapt to him very well.” The play shifts fluidly between three time periods: When Turing was a teenager, when he worked at Bletchley Park on solving the Enigma Code and in the ‘50s when he was dealing with his prosecution and punishment.

The essence of this play, according to Cohen is that “what’s true and what the rules are always matters from one’s point of view. The striving for mathematics is the ability to find truth. Turing found that lacking, too, because mathematics ultimately doesn’t tell the truth. He developed a machine that he hoped will remove some of the variables, in part an effort to find the logical truth in the world.” There’s a lot of talking in this two-anda-half-hour play, but Cohen believes, “It has a lot to say. It’s a really fascinating story.”

Breaking the Code runs from March 15-30 at Falcon Theatre.

Info: falcontheater.net.

Rick Grant-Coons portrays Alan Turing in Breaking the Code.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY FALCON THEATRE

CULTURE

SCincinnati Film Historian Joe Horine to Host Series About Corruption Ahead of Election in Latest ‘Deep Dive’ Special

BY BRENT STROUD

tepping into a movie theater can feel like the ultimate escape, going on a journey of light and sound exploring the human condition, reveling in the human spark.

Cincinnati has a vibrant and evolving film community that expands on the moviegoing experience.

There are a handful of groups putting together classic cinema events in Greater Cincinnati. A small group curates niche classic showings at The Lounge in Northside, the city shows old favorites in Washington Park, and a handful of groups present programming at the Esquire, among others, but there’s not a lot like the “Deep Dive” series presented by educator, film historian and all-around Cincinnati culture enthusiast, Joe Horine.

“Deep Dive” is a carefully curated film series that takes place at the historic Esquire and Mariemont theaters on a regular basis year-round, built around a changing theme. Each showing features an introduction from Horine and a follow-up contextualization and open discussion/Q&A with audience members.

Horine, whose parents were both involved in Cincinnati culture, his dad a musician who played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and his mom who worked at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, initially studied literature but found himself leaning more and more toward cinema as a young man. “The older I got, I thought, ‘Hey, Cincinnati is a great theater town, it’s a great music town, I’d like to try to make it equally strong, from a cultural standpoint, a movie town,’” Horine tells CityBeat

Horine attended Miami University, where he received a master’s in creative writing with a focus on screenwriting, followed by doctoral work in visual presentation of information spanning novels, graphical user interfaces and in cinema. “So, I started thinking about, talking about, teaching and writing about that. It kind of led to a natural kind of merge between literature and technology and visual arts and mainly in the cinema and kind of was the perfect storm of things coming together for me, from an interest standpoint.”

He got an internship out of college with film producer Dan Wigutow in Manhattan and worked on screenplays (and even wrote some of his own), studied film noir with noted film theorist William Rothman and eventually began teaching at the University of

Cincinnati.

His relationship with the Esquire began after operations manager and Horine’s now collaborator, Diane Janicki, contacted UC looking for someone to present a showing of Pillow Talk starring famous Cincinnati native Doris Day to coincide with the city’s dedication of Doris Day Way in 2017. Horine jumped at the opportunity. The showing was a success and Esquire asked if he’d like to do more. Horine says he’s lost track but

estimates they’ve presented 300 movies since.

The “Deep Dive” series generally includes expected things like horror films in October under the name Shocktober, but there are also mainstays like Noirvember, which includes film noir classics, and other different series built around themes and topical subjects.

The films are presented on a Monday at Esquire and the following Wednesday at Mariemont. This month

is the start of the newest election yearrelated series, “Corruption Classics.”

“If you follow politics, there are a lot of questions about corruption in politics regardless of which way you lean,” Horine says. “So, in March and April we’re doing these three movies that are about corruption.”

The “Corruption Classics” series includes showings of All the King’s Men on March 18 at Esquire and March 20 at Mariemont; Born Yesterday on March 25 and 27 and The

“Deep Dive” screening at the Esquire Theatre.

PHOTO: JOE HORINE

He describes the events as, “kind of film school in small chunks. You buy a $10 ticket, you show up, you get a little film professor, if that’s the kind of thing you like, but you don’t have to write papers or take tests and it’s sort of like film school for the price of a ticket.”

Wrong Man on April 15 and 17.

On programming, Horine says, it’s a mix of trying to “keep the topics sort of relevant to what’s in the news” and a touch of “this will be fun, regardless.”

The response to the “Deep Dive” series has been overwhelmingly positive. “The rooms have been selling out, they’re selling a couple hundred tickets,” Horine says. “People have gotten to know me and understand what these ‘Deep Dives’ are and what they’re going to get and so on.”

He describes the events as, “kind of film school in small chunks. You buy a $10 ticket, you show up, you get a little film professor, if that’s the kind of thing you like, but you don’t have to write papers or take tests and it’s sort of like film school for the price of a ticket.”

That has been positive for Horine who says after things moved more online during COVID and he had less interaction with students and lost the communal part of movie watching, it became less fun for him and he says he “kind of backed off the teaching.” Once theaters started opening, he began focusing more on the “Deep Dive” events, adding that he understands the nature of college, that some students take a class just for a credit but that people who come out to the showings are all movie lovers. “If people show up to Esquire or Mariemont and pay for the ticket, they’re there because they wanna be and that’s the kind of good energy and mojo that makes it fun.

“I’m admittedly an old guy, an old school guy, these movies that I teach and talk about and love and think about and write about, they were made

to be seen in an auditorium on a big screen with other people, most of whom are strangers, eating popcorn in an experiential environment and that’s not to say, and I’ve had this discussion with students, if it’s a great movie, watch it on your phone or watch it on your TV at home but don’t forgo the experience of going to a movie theater and having that go out and have a cup of coffee or a drink afterwards and talk to the people you went with and see what they think.”

For the true movie lover, there was also the “Deeper Dive” film series before COVID where Horine would host screenings that included a breakdown of the film with pauses and discussions in 3-5 hour sessions that Horine hopes to bring back. He describes the “Deeper Dive” screening as, “a half-day film class on everything about (the movie), shot by shot, the lighting, the camera, the acting, the whole deal and I do that with Rear Window and Casablanca and Chinatown and Alien.”

In the future, Horine has also proposed hosting a Doris Day 100th birthday series; 70-year anniversary showings of Rear Window, La Stada and On the Waterfront; a spy-themed September series and more. In their yearslong collaboration, the team at the theaters have to figure out what will work and Horine plans accordingly.

On favorite moments over the years, he mentions showing one of his favorites, Rear Window, and a “Deeper Dive” presentation of the Hitchcock classic, as well as a memory of an enthusiastic audience for counterculture classic, Easy Rider.

“They get out on the open road (in the movie) and the Steppenwolf song (Horine mimics the opening rhythm of 1968’s “Born To Be Wild”), there were a bunch of hippies in the audience at the Esquire and three or four of them, almost in unison went, ‘wooooo!’ and that was cool. They were so into it, their emotions peaked, and I was like, this is why I’m doing this, because people still love these movies from decades ago. It connects them back to their youth, who they were, what they were thinking at that time, what they were feeling and that’s the beauty of cinema — it connects with your memory and it keeps that memory alive and therefore, in my mind, it’s the most vibrant artform that exists.”

For more information about the “Corruption Classics” series, visit esquiretheatre.com.

Know Theatre Is Evolving Again as the Search for a New Artistic Director is Underway

BY RICK PENDER

Cincinnati’s array of theaters is small compared to New York or Chicago, or even the Twin Cities. But we have a full spectrum of theater, enough choices to satisfy most theater lovers’ appetites. All the bases are covered. The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is a Tony Award-winning regional theater. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents regional premieres of small cast dramas and comedies. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company produces an array of classic works. For 26 years Know Theatre of Cincinnati has annually presented edgy, experimental, boundary-pushing productions as well as the annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival since 2005.

So when a pair of Know’s artistic leaders announced their departures last September and October, it made many fans of Know nervous. To tell the truth, theaters across the U.S. are suffering. The pandemic caused many patrons to stop seeking out live performances, and attendance has not rebounded. The lifeblood of performing arts flows through ticket sales, so theater news has been troubling. Legendary theaters

in numerous American cities, from the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles to Victory Gardens in Chicago, have radically scaled back their seasons or closed. Locally Know postponed a promised December show until next season. Should Cincinnati theater fans be concerned?

Late in 2023 I spoke with four people who are part of this story: Andrew Hungerford, Know’s outgoing artistic director; Tom McLaughlin and Kathryn Hoffman, current leaders of Know’s board of directors; and Jay Kalagayan, Know’s founder and still an engaged board member.

Hungerford’s planned departure after 10 years of leadership was made public on Oct. 11, just two weeks after Associate Artistic Director Tamara Winters departed somewhat unexpectedly to pursue other opportunities as a director and fundraiser for the arts. She joined Know in 2014 just a few months after Hungerford stepped up as artistic director after seven years of scenic and lighting design. Winters directed shows and took the lead in fundraising. Out of necessity, Know’s small full-time

staff of six often handles multiple tasks. According to these interviews, these departures are not the product of frustration. Winters and Hungerford are both at different points in life than they were ten years ago.

Hungerford, who reduced his freelance designing career to focus on Know, has divided his ten years of leadership between Cincinnati and Los Angeles, where his wife Elizabeth Martin is an established professional writer. In Know’s October 2023 announcement, Hungerford said, “Being artistic director of the Know is a dream job, the kind that could fill a career. But because I split my time between Cincinnati and a home in Los Angeles, I initially had a three-year contract, thinking that would be my full tenure. And then there was more that we all wanted to do, and it turned into five years. And then seven years.” The pandemic tacked on three more years when his departure seemed ill-advised. “Even without a pandemic,” he added, “ten years in this role always stood for me as a hard limit. Leaders at small arts organizations know that the positions can be all consuming, and

there’s a big difference between having an all-consuming job in one’s 30s and in one’s 40s.”

The board anticipated Hungerford’s departure at the end of the 2023-2024 season. Winters, now a mother, landed a job that builds on her experience but affords a better work/life balance. Her decision to leave was dismaying, but understandable. Nevertheless, their departures were troubling, especially when the postponement of the holiday production was announced. However, the balance of the season was quickly shared on the company’s website: The production of Kairos by Lisa Sanaye Dring, a two-person story about immortality and commitment opened on schedule on Feb. 16. The mainstage season will finish with a sci-fi musical, The Light Chasers, in April, written by Hungerford with music and lyrics by Craig Minowa. It will be co-produced with UC/CCM’s acting program. The 21st Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival, led by producer Katie Hartman for the third year, is set for May 31-June 15.

The board is reviewing candidates who have applied to replace

Know Theatre is preparing for a new era. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY KNOW THEATRE

Hungerford and hopes to choose a new leader before the 2024 Fringe. Know’s job posting indicated that the artistic director would offer “leadership with a passion for new works, underserved voices, economic justice, and equitable and inclusive independent theater that’s rooted in community, collaboration and play.” Winters’s absence means the new artistic leader will need to find an able fundraiser or take a larger personal role in that challenging activity.

McLaughlin, whose term as board chair ended in December, said, “An occasional change in leadership is important for a theater that’s all about producing work about artists and the artistic community.” Know does not have an endowment, a reserve of funds for projects, planned or unplanned. He pointed out that the company’s Jackson Street building is rent-free, thanks to the estate of late donor David Herriman. “But it’s not an asset. We don’t really have a ‘rainy day’ fund for unexpected repairs or other needs. We have to pay for upkeep, heat and air conditioning, and maintenance like tuckpointing on the building’s walls.”

The company needs to look toward the future, McLaughlin said. “Know Theatre was an experiment, and experiments are meant to change. How do we keep being a theater and an asset for the artistic community of Cincinnati?” It’s a formidable question.

Hoffman became a board member two years ago and is now its chair, so she brings a fresh perspective. Employed in the finance industry, she brings business acumen to her role as the board’s incoming leader. She has a clear idea of the kind of artistic leader that Know should hire. “We seek a person who can find a way to be in town, represent the Know well, find a way to bring back folks who have drifted away, and bring in new audience members. We need to build seasons that have really wide, broad appeal. We push the envelope, and we want to continue doing so — but perhaps push different envelopes in different ways.”

But Hoffman is also pragmatic. “My financial brain goes to the need to have an anchor show in every season that’s a pretty big blockbuster to raise enough funds and support to enable the smaller, push-the-envelope shows. I envision a theatrical experience for our audience that allows deep thinkers to open their eyes and encourages them to push the boundaries of what is possible. And we need to do this with financial stability.”

Know’s founder Kalagayan provided a longer perspective. “It’s a scary time right now. Theaters I admired when I started Know 26 years ago have closed. But Know has always been adaptable and flexible. During COVID, we didn’t take any breaks. We were still producing. We pioneered the hybrid of performing live and recorded theater.” Know produced an all-digital Fringe in 2020 and a hybrid event in 2021. “I can’t imagine Cincinnati without the Fringe,” Kalagayan observed. “It sets our city apart.”

Cincinnati had a strong theatergoing audience before the pandemic, he recalled. “They’re still trying to find their way back.” Across the country theater attendance is down about 50 percent. There are many competing options for entertainment. “It’s wonderful, but we need to support theater of all sizes. Know is always evolving, always changing, and we’re better for it.”

Know provides its staff modest salaries. “But we’re going to do a wide call,” Kalagayan said, “and I know that with our history and programming, we’re an attractive opportunity.” Approximately two dozen people have applied. “Many well qualified local candidates have gained experience because of Know Theatre and the Fringe Festival.” Kalagayan pointed out. “We’ve provided a fertile ground for creators. It’s kind of like we’ve invested in our own creative community.”

Hungerford added, “Know has always had a remarkable resiliency and transformative quality, exemplified by the wide variety of work that we put onstage and the breadth of our programming. From a show at the Mockbee, to Serials! [new plays by local writers], to the Fringe Festival, Know encompasses all these things. A great community of artists feed into the Know. Know provides works that can’t be seen on any other stage.” He added, “Innovation takes investment and support, so we need to have the resources for our intrepid team, staff and artists to give them space for that innovation to happen.”

The lights might be flickering on Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine, but the collective will of those involved is to build on Know’s long, creative foundation.

Know Theatre’s production of The Light Chasers opens on April 5 in a co-production with UC/CCM’s acting program. The 21st Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is set for May 31-June 15. Info and tickets: knowtheatre.com.

FOOD & DRINK

Cooking Close to Home

Chef Mapi De Veyra gets a bit more personal in his new venture, Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice.

BY KELSEY GRAHAM

The Gatherall, a food hall located at Factory 52 in Norwood, is a melting pot of delicious cuisines and flavors. Walking among the stalls, you’ll find American favorites like burgers, loaded fries and barbecue to internationally inspired dishes, including Vietnamese rice bowls and Filipino chicken adobo, with even more offerings to come. One spot you don’t want to miss out on is Pan-Asian-inspired Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice, owned by Mapi De Veyra.

De Veyra is no stranger to the Cincinnati food scene, having been a part of many successful business ventures in the area, from Quan Hapa to Decibel Korean Fried Chicken, to name a few. With Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice, though, it’s more personal.

“This one’s a little bit closer to my heart,” said De Veyra. It was a tough transition when De Veyra’s family moved from the Philippines to the United States when he was 16 years old. One of the things that kept him connected to the

Philippines while making Cincinnati feel like home was food. “It was tough moving here,” said De Veyra. “The food made me more comfortable. It was a way to put me at ease but also, later on, be able to tell a story of where I’m from.”

De Veyra describes Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice as fast-casual Pan-Asian island cuisine inspired by his experience growing up in the Philippines and worldly travels.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

Mapi De Veyra has helped chart the success of other foodie destinations, like Quan Hapa and Decibel Korean Fried Chicken.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

“We just want the ingredients and techniques to come through, and that’s really what Nice-Nice is about,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s traditional, most of the time it’s not. The essence and traditional flavor is always there, and that’s kind of what Nice-Nice

is about.”

De Veyra dove into the food industry with passion and grit. “It was just learning,” he said. “A lot of learning, a lot of reading, and then just our travels. We would always eat; food was always a big part of my life, so wherever we went, we always had different types of food. And then going home and trying to recreate that and eventually trying to create new things at the restaurant.”

Along with hands-on experience and travel, he credits the brothers and owners of Pho Lang Thang, Bao and Duy Nguyen, for helping him to show him that he could make a life here in Cincinnati with food. This connection to food became so strong that when asked what kept him in the Queen City, De Veyra said, “Food, truly.” (His fiance also has a job in the city, too.)

“We love it here,” he said.

De Veyra describes Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice as fast-casual PanAsian island cuisine inspired by his experience growing up in the Philippines and worldly travels. “There are a lot of different types of food in the Philippines,” he said. “Gabriela [Filipina Kantina] in the Gatherall, they’re doing the Spanish version of things. I’m doing more of the Asian and island type of food.”

Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice’s menu is simple, but don’t let that fool you.

De Veyra loves to serve dishes that he enjoys and would eat himself that tend to have a mix of flavor and tradition. “We just want the ingredients and techniques to come through, and that’s really what Nice-Nice is about,” he said. “Sometimes it’s traditional, most of the time it’s not. The essence and traditional flavor is always there, and that’s kind of what Nice-Nice is about.”

One of the fan-favorite offerings on the menu is the Garlic Noodles, made

with soy sauce, parmesan and green onions. “That’s one of my favorites,” he said. “It’s kind of a hybrid ‘cause of the butter and the parmesan cheese. I love Italian food a lot and make what I like to eat.”

Another popular dish is the Teriyaki Chicken, which De Veyra describes as a well-balanced meal with grilled chicken thighs, broccolini and white rice. The lumpia, which are Filipino egg rolls that are crispy and fried, are also popular with two different offerings: the pork-filled lumpia Shanghai with a side of sweet and soy dipping sauce and one of De Veyra’s childhood favorites, cheese lumpia with a mayo-based aioli dipping sauce.

“The cheese lumpia was a favorite snack growing up,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you would have in your freezer, and then if you’re hungry, you would just throw it in your oven if you didn’t feel like frying it. It’s something we always had growing up. It’s just very simple with cheese, and then you wrap it in an egg roll wrapper.”

Other menu offerings include a pork belly barbecue dish made with grilled pork belly that’s glazed with Filipino barbecue sauce and served with java rice and pickled papaya, and Gambas Al Ajillo, which consists of shrimp in a garlic paprika sauce with shishito peppers and white rice.

When creating dishes, De Veyra likes playing with various flavors while aiming to keep everything balanced. “It’s just always something savory, and being Filipino, there’s always a touch of sweetness and trying to introduce a little bit of spice because where I grew up, we don’t eat a lot of spicy food,” he explains.

“There are some regions in the Philippines that do eat spicy foods, but we didn’t, so that’s something I integrate into my food now.”

Since opening in November of 2023, things have been going well.

“It’s been a great response so far,” said De Veyra. In addition to the mainstay menu, he has also started hosting a monthly event called Nice-Nice Chef Counter, which offers off-menu options that allow him and his staff to be more creative with the food offerings. For these events, he provides a plated three-course experience at the four bar seats at the stall, which allows for a more intimate setting with elevated offerings. “I get to talk with the people,” he said. Guests must purchase tickets for available time slots in advance, which are often advertised on the restaurant’s Instagram page before each event.

Nice-Nice Noodles and Rice, 2750 Park Ave., Norwood. Info: instagram.com/nicenice_nr.

33 Black-Owned Greater Cincinnati Restaurants You Need to Try ASAP

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

From hearty Southern-style breakfasts to traditional West African dishes, açai bowls to barbecue and authentic tacos, Cincinnati’s Blackowned eateries are a vital part of our foodie landscape. Whether you want to grab a coffee or craft beer with a friend or feed your body and soul with homestyle cooking, there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and food trucks from local Black restaurateurs you can check out and support.

Pata Roja Taqueria

52 E. Court St., Downtown

Taqueria Pata Roja got its start in 2019 as a food truck that could typically be found behind Bar Saeso in Pendleton. From there it grew in popularity, becoming known for its authentic street tacos and Mexican dishes. With this success, owner Derrick Braziel decided to put down roots in downtown Cincinnati. In February, Braziel opened Pata Roja in its new brick-and-mortar spot in Court Street Plaza. Pata Roja’s new space is modeled after the iconic taquerias of Mexico City, with colorful tiles and a central focus of the trompo, a meat rotisserie that’s front and center in the kitchen, which will be used to roast pork for the authentic tacos al pastor. On the menu, guests will find a variety of street tacos, including the al pastor and the popular campechano, which combines several meats into one taco, as well as frozen margaritas and fresh salsas.

Nolia Kitchen

1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine

Bringing New Orleans-style flair and fare to Over-the-Rhine, Nolia offers diners an upscale, yet approachable, experience. The exposed brick and bold floral wallpaper add a bright and airy feeling to the intimate setting, and the menu features delectable Southerninspired dishes like the River Catfish, served with grits, meunière and crawfish, or the Pork Shank. And while you shouldn’t expect Nolia to play zydeco music or serve hurricane cocktails in novelty cups, the restaurant’s drink menu will truly laissez les bon temps rouler, non?

Sewovi Foods

607 Shepherd Drive, Lockland

Sewovi Foods is a new ghost kitchen (meaning you can only order for carryout or delivery) that specializes in West African dishes, specifically those from the country Togo. Founder Etse Sewovi wanted to use his kitchen to bridge his

love of food from his homeland with the opportunity to also aid Togolese farmers who are struggling to sell their produce by connecting them with U.S. buyers. Their produce is featured in Sewovi’s dishes, like the Ademe Dessi (a soup featuring meat or fish with jute leaves), Nugbagba (tomato stew) and the Poisson Frit (locally sourced tilapia marinated, spiced and deep-fried). For dessert, try a the Zowey, a West African treat of spicy peanuts and corn, rolled into a ball and sweetened with date sugar.

Big Jays Place

930 Hempstead Drive, Finneytown

Big Jays Place in Finneytown offers a menu bursting with flavor from its Caribbean comfort food dishes, like the Soul Food Plate, featuring jerk chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cilantro rice, or the half-pound Jerk Burrito, which comes with a choice of shrimp, jerk chicken or salmon. But what Big Jays is best known for is its oxtail, which Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives host Guy Fieri got to try on his recent visit there, saying, “If you don’t like oxtail, then come on down here to the oxtail conversion program.”

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey

9039 US-42, Union Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey is inspired by the trappings of the American frontier and California’s 19th-century gold rush. The restaurant is helmed by chef Christian Gill,

who has appeared on several cooking competition shows. At Boomtown, the true delight comes plated. The signature biscuit isn’t a run-of-the-mill, thousand-layer, flaked baked good: it’s a buttery, soft disk with a close crumb and a browned, lightly bubbled top that no breakfast chain can compete with. Order the Gold Shoes to get this delightful biscuit topped with delicious sawmill, peppercorn, mushroom, Creole or goetta gravy.

Soul Secrets

1434 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

This OTR spot doesn’t just offer soul food – their recipes tell the story of owner Candice Holloway’s family. “Our

recipes – that’s what we bring to the table. They’re historic, they’re traditional, they are original, they’re from scratch, they are made with love,” Holloway told CityBeat. A look at the menu shows entrees that, in a lot of the South, would just be called good ol’ home cooking, like fried chicken, its seasonal (and vegan) chicken pot pie, fried whiting and catfish. On the side, there’s mac and cheese, collard greens, sweet potatoes and cornbread — the kinds of dishes prepared for the family and that you’d hope for when someone offers to “fix you a plate.”

Ollie’s Trolley

1607 Central Ave., West End

Maize’s menu features Latin American cuisine with a special emphasis on Venezuelan staples.

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food destination in the West End.

PHOTO: SAMI STEWART

Located in a bright yellow and red trolley car, Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food staple in Cincinnati. This little trolley serves a variety of smoked meats, including ribs, turkey tips and pulled pork, plus metts and burgers. They also offer plenty of sides, like collard greens, buttered corn and potato salad. For dessert, get a slice of their lemon pound cake or chess pie, or take a whole pie or cake home to share.

Muse Café

3018 Harrison Ave., Westwood

This Westwood coffee and wine bar offers up cafe items like frappes and smoothies, plus a sizable food menu that includes breakfast, lunch, tapas and cheese plates. Speaking of cheese, do not sleep on the paninis. Muse is more than a cafe with delicious meals and drinks, however; you also go for the experience: gathering with friends to catch up, unwinding after a long day with a glass of wine or taking in the live music performances or local art displays.

Midwest Best BBQ & Creamery

669 Justice Court, Loveland

Using locally sourced and all-natural ingredients, Midwest BBQ offers some of the freshest, tastiest barbecue in town. Founded in 2009 to sell its MB Simply Sweet BBQ sauce, the restaurant quickly evolved into a popular barbecue joint. Their menu boasts entrees including a chopped chicken sandwich; a smoked turkey wrap; smoke-fried

wings; chopped chicken, pulled pork, smoked turkey and beef brisket by the pound and gluten-free options. They also serve delicious sides like creamy slaw and baked beans. They like to pair their barbecue with ice cream, offering 12 flavors of Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream as dips, shakes and malts, sundaes and more.

BOL

2165 Central Ave., Unit A, West End

As Cincinnati’s first açaí bowl bar, BOL has a mission to bring people together through a shared love of fresh, healthy and tasty food. They have both a mobile food truck you’ll find around the city, as well as a stationary truck on Central Avenue in the West End. You can create your own bowl with fruits, granola and a variety of toppings, from peanut and almond butters to bee pollen and goji berries. BOL also has several precreated bowls on their menu that you can modify, like the Jujitsu BOL (which comes with strawberries, banana and honey) or the Queen City BOL (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, raspberries, chia seed and honey).

Maize OTR

1438 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Maize specializes in a unique fusion menu that honors traditional recipes from across Latin America, with an emphasis on Venezuelan cuisine. The restaurant takes its name from maize, a corn flour dating back some 10,000 years and first utilized by indigenous

Mexicans. The flour serves as the basis for the arepas, cachapas and empanadas served at Maize.

Just Q’in BBQ

975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills; 5903 Hamilton Ave., College Hill

Owned by Matt Cuff, this barbecue joint is “committed to the mission of Faith, Love and BBQ.” On the menu, you’ll find smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and more. And don’t skip on the classic barbecue sides. Need more convincing? Even U.S. President Joe Biden gobbled up Just Q’in’s brisket, mac & cheese, jalapeño cornbread and peach cobbler during a visit to Cincinnati. Grab it all by the plate or by the pound for catering.

Conscious Kitchen

2912 Short Vine St., Corryville

After a brief hiatus, Short Vine eatery Conscious Kitchen is back open and serving up its delicious, but healthy, meals once again. The restaurant offers a chef-crafted menu of items like the portabella mushroom burger; “aquatic” egg rolls with salmon spinach and feta; hearty salads; and even carrot fries.

Island Frydays

2826 Short Vine St., Corryville

Island Frydays is the definitive restaurant to break out of culinary monotony, featuring authentic Caribbean cuisine made by former University of Cincinnati football captain and Jamaica native Leo Morgan. Though the restaurant has a petite and unassuming interior, they

pack a whole lot of flavor. Their Caribbean jerk chicken and spicy snapper were approved by Fieri on the show.

Esoteric Brewing Company

918 E McMillan St., Walnut Hills

Esoteric Brewing believes craft beer should be as elegant as fine wine, and master brewer Brian Jackson has spent years cultivating his skills. This brewery’s beer menu pays homage to traditional Belgian, English, German and American styles, but with some Old World flair. The space features an Art Deco speakeasy vibe, with lounge chairs and cocktail tables. Because the brewing equipment is housed in the basement, a viewing space has been carved out so customers can look down into the brew hub.

Catch Me If You Can

6112 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge

Catch Me If You Can is a new restaurant that opened in Pleasant Ridge’s former Casa Figueroa space in November. The eatery offers up a fusion of Southernstyle comfort food and new-American fare, with a menu featuring wings, fried chicken and grilled salmon tacos, Southern-fried fish fries and, in a nod to Cincinnati cuisine, turkey chili coneys, smothered in cheddar cheese.

Wing Champ

2343 E. Sharon Road, Sharonville

Wing Champ offers hickory-smoked Swank Wings with 15 different types of sauces and nine dry rubs. Some of their sauces include HotLanta Peach, Plum

Esoteric Brewing Company’s beer menu pays homage to traditional Belgian, English, German and American styles, but with some Old World flair.

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Sewovi Foods is a ghost kitchen that specializes in West African cuisine.

PHOTO: PROVIDED B ETSE SEWOVI

Loco, Thai Chili and Spicy Maple; for the dry rubs, try the Chipotle Pepper for some heat or the Mojito Lime for some bright, citrusy tang. If mouthwatering wings are not for you, they also offer salads, soups, sandwiches and more.

Flavors of the Isle

1807 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine

This Jamaican soul food restaurant and bar is owned by Detroit-native-turnedlong-time Cincinnati resident Ebony Williams. Specializing in its famous Jamaican jerk chicken, Flavors of the Isle got its start as a member of the Outdoor Market and Findlay Kitchen, a nonprofit supporting local food entrepreneurs, and was started as a way to address the shortage of ethnic eateries in Cincinnati, says Williams. Apart form the jerk chicken, you’ll also find other Caribbean fare like oxtail, curry, brown stew chicken and a vegan platter of rice, peas, stir-fry cabbage and fried sweet plantains.

Yard Vybz Nyaminz

9536 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester West Chester restaurant Yard Vybz serves up authentic Jamaican food and good times. Owner David Williams says what sets his restaurant apart from other Jamaican restaurants are the authenticity of the food and the service. The restaurant is family-owned and operated, with David; his wife, Nicole; and their son working tirelessly to provide good food and good vibes to the community, David says. On the menu, you’ll find classic Jamaican cuisine like jerk chicken, oxtail and plantains, as well as vegetarian and seafood options.

Darou Salam

4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside Darou Salam is Cincinnati’s best-kept secret for authentic African food. It offers Senegalese cuisine ranging from Lamb Dibi, grilled lamb paired with an onion-mustard sauce; Firir – fried whole tilapia (Yes, with the head, but don’t be scared; it’s tasty) and Bissap Sorrel, a famous Hibiscus juice and Senegalese favorite.

Alabama Que

2733 Short Vine St., Corryville

Alabama Que was founded by Dwan Ward, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and former UC football player, in 2008. An Alabama native, Ward’s restaurant oozes Southern charm and a food truck was added to the business to keep up with growing demand. Some meat options include smoked chicken, beef brisket, smoked salmon and their famous turkey tips. Add some of their sides like the green beans, yams or mac & cheese for a hearty barbecue meal, and top it all off with a dessert: peach or apple cobbler, lemon or chocolate cake or banana pudding.

Elephant Walk Indian Bar and Grill

170 W. McMillan St., CUF

Not only does Elephant Walk Indian Bar and Grill serve up North Indian favorites like samosas, a variety of vegetarian dishes, tandoori specialties and naan burritos — a beloved street food in Mumbai — they also have an Ethiopian menu. Try the Misser Soup (a lentil soup seasoned with herbs and spices), an Injera Roll (Ethiopian vegan flatbread that’s wrapped around vegetables and your choice of protein), or the Awaze Tibs, cubed beef steak, panseared and sautéed with red onions, bell peppers, cardamom and awaze sauce and served with injera.

Cream + Sugar Coffeehouse

3546 Montgomery Road, Evanston

Serving up locally sourced organic coffee and tea, Cream + Sugar also offers breakfast and lunch with a focus on local and plant-based ingredients. Owned by longtime friends Taren Kinebrew and Crystal Grace, the coffee shop is designed to evoke a calming and welcoming vibe, with shades of blue and teal and window seating, as well as lounge space for larger groups.

Katch the Kitchen

4172 Hamilton Ave., Northside

After operating as a food truck for some time, Katch the Kitchen opened a brick-and-mortar spot in Northside in March 2021. Their menu consists of everything from French Toast Roll Ups with a vanilla cream cheese glaze to fries loaded with chicken, shrimp, crab, cheddar jack cheese and ranch. And for under $7, you can get a delicious breakfast burrito loaded with eggs, cheese, peppers, potatoes and your choice of meat.

Teranga

8438 Vine St., Hartwell

This African-American fusion

restaurant offers a diverse and affordable menu. Find inexpensive meals, like the Senegalese Senburger, or full dinners like grilled tilapia and Jamaican oxtail with rice and peas. It’s a great place to try West African dishes such as Michoui Gigot (stuffed lamb leg with onion sauce). Sides range from couscous and French fries to fufu and attiéké.

Saturday Morning Vibes Cereal Bar

3539 Reading Road, Suite 101, Avondale

If you crave those memories of grabbing a bowl of cereal and plopping yourself in front of the TV to watch Saturday morning cartoons and now want to experience that with your kids, this Avondale cereal bar can help. The nostalgia is real at Saturday Morning Vibes as it features over 70 cereals from around the world, as well as toppings like strawberries, whipped cream and more to add to your bowl. Their menu also offers other breakfast favorites like bagels, parfaits, oatmeal and Deeper Roots coffee.

Express Wings

7625 Reading Road, Roselawn Express Wings doesn’t just do wings well. Enjoy their chicken sandwich that rivals some of its corporate competitors, or their famous chicken and waffles. You can also indulge in their cheeseburgers, seafood baskets or sandwiches or sample a little of everything with a fish, wings and fries combo.

Divine Appetite Cafe

8982 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester

There are not many places in Cincinnati where you can go and get authentic African cuisine and comfort food, which is exactly what Divine Appetite Cafe excels at. The cozy, no-frills West Chester restaurant features traditional dishes like Waakye — African stewed

tomato sauce, chicken, fish and a hardboiled egg — and Banku, cornmeal dumplings served with okra sauce which includes fish, blue crab and beef. It also carries a homestyle menu with American-style dishes like fried chicken and smothered pork chops. Side dishes cross cultures with items ranging from french fries and mac & cheese to roti (Caribbean flatbread) and fried plantains.

Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant

5070 Crookshank Road, Westwood Habesha is a hidden gem that offers authentic Ethiopian dishes. The restaurant serves traditional meals like Kitfo, a dish that features spiced minced meat with butter and mitmita — a seasoning mix made with chili peppers, cardamom, cloves and salt — topped with seasoned cheese. For non-meat-eaters, there’s also Yesom Beyaynetu, a platter of several vegetarian-friendly dishes.

Pluto’s Cafe

1817 Galbraith Road, North College Hill

On Pluto Cafe’s menu, you’ll find homestyle favorites like catfish, meatloaf and chicken tenders, as well as combo meals like their Game Time (whiting, wings and fries). Level up your plate with some delicious Southern-style sides like green beans, fries or coleslaw.

Rasheedah’s Cafe

5922 Hamilton Ave., College Hill

Rasheedah’s Cafe is located in an unassuming brick building in the heart of College Hill, but don’t let the modest exterior fool you; the cafe is full of heart, soul and delicious food. Rasheedah Majid first opened her selfnamed cafe in 1993 to address the need for halal dishes in Cincinnati. Now, the spot offers comfort food and halal meats like their salmon croquettes, fried fish and rib eyes for dinner and Philly cheesesteaks and chili dogs for lunch.

Millie’s Place

5923 Madison Road, Madisonville

Millie’s Place has been a staple soulfood eatery in Cincinnati since opening in 1993. The classic after-church restaurant serves up fried chicken, fried fish, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, collard greens and other Southern favorites. For dessert, don’t pass on the peach cobbler or lemon cake.

Burnett’s Soul Food

1012 E McMillan St., Walnut Hills

If you love soul food, hearty sides and delicious desserts, you can find it all at Burnett’s. Between breakfast platters, double-decker sandwiches and fish dinner specials, Burnett’s has something for everyone.

Flavors of the Isle is a Jamaican soul food restaurant and bar.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY FINDLAY MARKET

MUSIC

Never Boring

Cincinnati band The Raisins discuss their unique musical legacy in the Queen City

BY JASON GARGANO

The Raisins’ self-titled 1983 debut album might have been the quartet’s only official release, but that 11-song, 43-minute effort was just the most obvious touchstone in a legacy that continues to reverberate in the Queen City. Proof surfaced again this month: The Raisins’ prime-era 1980s lineup — guitarist/vocalist Rob Fetters, keyboardist/vocalist Ricky Nye, bassist/vocalist Bob Nyswonger and drummer/vocalist Bam Powell — played three sold-out reunion shows at the Woodward Theater March 1-3, a sign not only of the band’s enduring relevance to its hardcore fans but also its members’ ongoing musical devotion and dexterity.

All four have played consistently in one Cincinnati-based project or another since The Raisins disbanded in 1985: Nye as a widely admired blues and boogie-woogie piano player; Powell in various bands, including the ongoing Bucket with Nyswonger; and Fetters in a pair of beloved power-pop outfits that also included Nyswonger (The Bears and psychodots), followed by five stellar solo albums, the most recent being 2023’s Mother.

As you would expect of a band with four different songwriters and personalities, The Raisins’ songs were all over the map, from straight-up rockers and new-wave ditties to R&B-flavored numbers and prog-leaning oddities. The band’s best-known song, the Fetterspenned “Fear Is Never Boring,” was a regional hit, earning heavy rotation on WEBN, whose far-reaching airwaves delivered the song’s provocative opening lyrical salvo to anyone with a radio dial: “Mama’s little baby likes fear and torture — ouch/Mama’s little darling likes violent sex.”

If The Raisins’ dreams of fame and fortune never quite came true — the fact of which no doubt informed the quartet’s unexpected disintegration in 1985 — that lone album did yield a positive review from the Village Voice’s “Dean of American Rock Critics,” Robert Christgau: “These four Adrian

Belew-produced Ohioans do their passion proud, with Rob Fetters’ funny but not parodic (or slavish) Springsteen impression on ‘Miserable World’ a typical high point. The songs stick, too, though the lyrics are matter of fact enough about bent sex to make me wonder what the really kinky people in Cincinnati are like. Then again, in Cincinnati a purist mainstream rock band may well define kinky.”

Kinky or not, The Raisins’ biggest asset was their rousing live shows, which drew a rabid following to bars and clubs across the city, long-gone places like Alexander’s, Shipley’s, Crossroads and Cooter’s. Evidence of the band’s stylistic breadth and live acumen is evident on Everything and More, a hard-to-find, self-released compilation of 56 songs they performed between 1980 and 1985. It’s a head-spinning, loose-limbed showcase, a recorded monument to why so many jumped at the chance to witness the band’s recent reunion shows, which was just the fourth time they’ve played together in nearly 40 years.

CityBeat spoke with The Raisins separately by phone in between their reunion rehearsals, each member emitting enthusiasm about the act of playing together again. That’s not to say it was an easy endeavor.

“Everybody’s been very musically active, and that’s a plus because this stuff is pretty demanding,” Nye says. “This would not happen if we weren’t in good musical shape. We’re rehearsing in Bob’s basement. It’s just like we used to work, all in a tight space. A lot of it is like, ‘What the hell were we playing? What was I doing?’ Some of these songs I listen to, and I’m embarrassed. Or, alternately, I’m like, ‘Wow, who was that?’ It’s like visiting a past life or something.”

Perhaps the most daunting aspect of the reunion was revisiting songs that in some cases were written when Jimmy Carter still graced the White House.

“When we wrote those songs, we were serious songwriters and we really cared about the material,” Fetters says. “I don’t think my worldview has changed that much, which is surprising to me. Actually, I think I might be a little more optimistic than I was in my twenties. A song like ‘Miserable World,’ which is on the Raisin album, it’s like an old man singing about the state of the world and the hopelessness, but maybe that goes hand in hand with being 26 years old. We were not starving, but we were pretty damn close to starving back then.”

Powell was the final piece of the classic Raisins lineup — and the last in a long procession of drummers — to lock in place in the fall of 1980.

“The five years I was a Raisin, that was the hardest-working band I have ever been in,” Powell says. “I’ve been playing for over 50 years and been in a lot of bands that were going after it. The Raisins resonated with a certain group of people. They just really appreciated what we were doing. We weren’t a trendy band, and our fans weren’t very trendy people. They were all kind of different, too. A lot of those people are still really good friends with each other. It’s a cool thing, man. The whole scene was.”

All four Raisins contributed to the songwriting process, which means there wasn’t a signature sound or central singer for prospective music-biz types to sell.

“We covered a lot of ground,” Powell says. “That was probably our downfall when the industry looked at us. They were like, ‘What the hell is this? What

box do we put this in?’ Clive Davis came to see us, and he said, ‘Who’s the lead singer?’ There really was no single lead singer. He told us we were ‘unfocused.’ And then he went out and immediately signed A Flock of Seagulls, so there you go.”

Yet the fact remains that the foursome’s diverse, ear-wormy songs left a lasting mark on a significant swath of listeners. Is Nyswonger surprised about the continued interest in The Raisins four decades later?

“Yes and no,” he says. “I know there are still a lot of people who say, ‘That was the best band ever.’ That’s very gratifying. I think a lot of people heard us at a time in their lives when they were just kind of figuring things out. They say people stop listening to music after they’re 22, but I guess we had enough people come to see us at that time in their life when it was really something that could profoundly affect them.”

“And the cool thing was that we weren’t just playing the hits of the day, we were playing our own stuff,” Nyswonger continues. “It was like, ‘Are you hip to what these guys are doing?’ We had a bit of a cult. The fact that those people are still alive and willing to buy a ticket? Yeah, I was a little surprised, but the fact of the matter is that we had a great reputation. When the band stopped playing a lot of people were really mad.”

Fetters agrees that the band pricked the right ears at the right time — but he also thinks there might be a more practical reason for the interest in the reunion shows.

“I guess a lot of people grew up with us and we were part of their youth,” Fetters says. “They’re probably looking at us and thinking, ‘Hey, these guys might not be around to do this again.’”

The Raisins

PHOTO: MICHAEL WILSON

ZACH NUGENT’S DEAD SET

March 7 • Ludlow Garage

The Grateful Dead’s music has brought joy to many people for decades. When Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, the band came to an end, leaving fans wanting more and more. Zach Nugent, guitarist and vocalist, now leads the Dead Set, a cover band carrying out Garcia’s legacy, performing the Grateful Dead’s greatest hits.

Nugent’s obsession and respect for the Grateful Dead began when he was just three years old. At age 12, the first song he learned on guitar was “Ripple.” Nugent grew up in Burlington, Vermont, and first began performing Grateful Dead songs at Nectar’s Restaurant with other local Deadheads. What started as informal weekly gatherings soon led to Nugent’s formation of the Dead Set. Although the members tend to stay the same now, it started with many rotations of other Deadheads performing in the group. Nugent’s success has done nothing but skyrocket over time, and his varying tour sets have gone from city to city around the U.S.

Zach Nugent’s Dead Set plays Ludlow Garage on March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Info: ludlowgaragecincinnati.com. (Hayley Garr)

PALM GHOSTS

March 15 • MOTR Pub

Palm Ghosts are a curious case. What began in 2013 as the solo project of Joseph Lekkas has morphed into a full band effort with rotating members and collaborators moving in and out over the last decade. Lekkas is the lone constant, handling songwriting duties and lead vocals, among other instruments, which makes Palm Ghosts’ radical sonic evolution somewhat of a surprise. What started as a largely straightforward singer/ songwriter project marked by languid folk pop (see 2014’s self-titled debut) has evolved into a moody shoegaze (minus the distortion) outfit rife with driving rhythms, atmospheric keyboards and angular guitars (see the provocatively titled latest effort, 2023’s I Love You, Burn in Hell). There are five other full-length records and four EPs between the aforementioned tent-pole releases, which makes Palm Ghosts one of the busiest entities — both in the recording studio and on the touring circuit

— amid the current landscape. And they aren’t about to slow down, as this Feb. 21 post from the band’s Facebook page attests: “Starting a month from now, we will begin releasing a series of songs, one at a time, every 2 weeks, that will end up populating 4 EPs and ultimately a double LP by the end of

the year.”

If recent Palm Ghosts’ trends hold true, expect Joy Division, Gang of Four and The Cure as obvious touchstones, as well as a host of other less recognizable influences from the era like Japan and The Blue Nile. There’s also a dollop of 1980s pop in the mix,

Palm Ghosts

PHOTO: SAM WISEMAN

Zach Nugent PHOTO: COURTESY OF ZACH NUGENT

something Lekkas doesn’t necessarily hear.

“It’s funny because the collection of records I have is mostly post punk and new wave,” he said in a 2021 interview with The Big Takeover. “My favorite band is the Velvet Underground, which is not the ’80s. No. 2 is probably The Beatles, which is not the ’80s. I don’t know that the culture of the ’80s is huge (for me), although I do like John Hughes movies.”

Palm Ghosts play MOTR Pub on March 15 at 9:30 p.m. Info: motrpub. com. (Jason Gargano)

SHOVELS & ROPE

March 22 • Southgate House Revival

Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, the husband-and-wife duo behind Shovels & Rope, possess voices primed with grit and grace, their intermingling vocals occasionally bursting forth with enough yearning and emotion to make Joe Cocker blush. The South Carolina-based duo deliver rootsy tunes that nod toward specific genre traditions while not hesitating to go down their own idiosyncratic rabbit hole.

“It’s a catch-all for anything that’s remotely connected to traditional

exhaustion: “Week days I get up and go to work/Come on home when I punch that clock/It’s like pushing a channel changer.” Expect Shovels & Rope to tackle “Gotta Get Out of Here” during their current live tour, another inspired creative choice in an existence full of them.

Shovels & Rope play Southgate House Revival on March 22 at 8 p.m. Info: southgatehouse.com. (JG)

MARGO CILKER

March 17 • Southgate House Revival

American musical idioms,” Hearst said in a 2019 interview with PopMatters when asked about the tendency for listeners to label what they do as “Americana.” “Our music doesn’t sound like Woody Guthrie, but we love him. Our lyrics don’t sound like something John Prine would have written, but that’s my No. 1 person that I would rip off. For the most part, Americana radio doesn’t care (about the differences). Within the audience, there are purists, but we like folk music that’s deconstructed and weird.”

The duo’s 2008 self-titled debut was initially a one-off effort — they started as solo performers — yet here we are 16 years later, multiple albums and consistently rousing live shows surfacing in their creative wake. Each new collection of songs explores a different corner of their core sound, often moving in unexpected directions. Take “Domino,” the opening track from Shovels & Rope’s most recent record, 2022’s Manticore — it’s a stirring take on the duo’s everevolving approach, employing piano, hand-claps and a sleek double-vocal delivery that brings to mind a rootsfueled version of LCD Soundsystem.

Word is that another full-length album is likely to emerge by the end of this year. Until then we have the recently dropped “Gotta Get Out of Here,” a haunting, slow-burning cover from Drivin N Cryin frontman Kevin Kinney’s influential 1990 solo debut, MacDougal Blues. The duo’s interweaving vocals take on the song’s scene-setting lyrics with a palpable

With Valley of the Heart’s Delight, her second record, Margo Cilker delivers a rich travelogue of roots music that puts her on the map, literally and figuratively. Cilker is part of her family’s fifth generation born in California’s Santa Clara Valley — the same one referenced in the bittersweet title. Since this rural farmland was transformed into Silicon Valley with pavement replacing pasture, Cilker relocated to the Northwest, first in Oregon, and now lives in rural Washington with her husband, a working cowboy. But fulfilling the promise of her 2021 debut, Pohorylle, Cilker’s new songs both treasure and lament the experiences of growing up in this bucolic land with her family. Sarah Cilker, Margo’s sister, sings harmony on the record, which developed organically from family singalongs.

Cilker’s warm, plaintive voice and evocative songwriting take center stage here with spare arrangements played by her country-folk band. A few Valley highlights are “Keep It On a Burner,” a lilting litany of Cilker’s simple pleasures in life backed by woozy horns, “I Remember Carolina,” a trad-country romp of travel adventures recounted with fiddle, mandolin and pedal steel, and “Beggar for Your Love,” an acoustic ache shadowed in regret.

In an interview last year with Palo Alto Online, Cilker explains the origin of her record title: “It’s easy to look back 50, 60, 100 years ago and say, ‘Oh, it was such simple times!’ Part of the nostalgia is a farce. There’s no ‘valley of heart’s delight’ — there wasn’t then, and there sure as shit isn’t now. Real life is messy, it’s ugly, and just not black-and-white; there’s a gray area. … Still, I can look back, and when people reminisce, I believe them — that there was beauty in the life that they lived.”

Margo Cilker plays the Southgate House Revival on March 17 at 7:30 p.m. Info: southgatehouse.com. (Greg Gaston)

Shovels & Rope

PHOTO: LESLIE RYAN MCKELLAR

Margo Cilker

PHOTO: JEN BORST

CROSSWORD

Across

1.  Symbol on Texas’s flag

CHICKEN WRAPS

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

39.  Currency-stabilizing org.

40.  Indy movie, for short

5.  Scheinert’s partner as the directing duo Daniels

9.  Ornamental tree

14.  “Let me think ... uh-unh”

15.  Leprechaun’s home

16.  Make amends

17.  Awards show spot

19.  Puccini opera heroine

20.  Big player in the movie biz in the ‘80s-90s

21.  Put pencil to paper

22.  Legged it

23.  ___ Corning

25.  1983 Billy Idol hit with the refrain “More, more, more, more, more”

30.  Toy bark

32.  Aged

33.  Domain

34.  Philadelphia university

37.  TV actress Killmer

42.  Latte order

44.  Duck Duck Go result

45.  Uno card

47.  Ice cream treats

48.  BRB, BTW, LOL, et al.

50.  2024 Best R&B Song winner

51.  __-Mex cuisine

52.  Only South American OPEC member

55.  Yoga pants material

59.  2020 Cardi B/Megan Thee Stallion hit

60.  Mythical archer

62.  Calls between friends

63.  Outermost of the Pentagon’s five sections

66.  One that cannot be criticized

68.  Margaret Mead’s study site

69.  On the safe side

70.  Inner arm bone

71.  Striker’s repetition

72.  Dropouts’ documents

73.  “___ there, done that”

Down

1.  Tom ___ (“Mystery Science Theatre 3000” robot)

2.  “Wild Cards” channel

3.  Novelist Gide

4.  “Arabian Nights” bird-like creature

5.  Curry’s coach

6.  Windshield accessory

7.  “Is there a fight going on between us?”

8.  Butterfly catcher

9.  Like some flaws and attractions

10.  2017 Margot Robbie biopic

11.  Businesses: Abbr.

12.  Chapel Hill inst.

13.  Whale watch milieu

18.  Source of print revenue

22.  Write up again

24.  Big Apple force

26.  Borrrring

27.  Heather plant

28.  Paul of “Puppet Master”

29.  Chortles, in showbiz

31.  Brightens

34.  “Impractical Jokers” channel

35.  Country/rock singer Steve

36.  La Scala’s home

38.  What fails, triggering the last resort

41.  Judge, with “up”

43.  Cunning

46.  Brewery product

49.  Like buttons and patches

53.  Big name in restaurant guides

54.  Moved in a curved path

56.  Washer sequence

57.  Man’s name that sounds like an enigmatic glyph

58.  Nile dam site

61.  Valuable deposits

63.  F1 neighbor

64.  Shout of support

65.  “___ little drunk”

66.  Droop down

67.  Name