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NEWS

Buildings in OTR set to be renovated with federal tax credits P H OTO : N I C K S WA RT S E L L

What Does ‘Affordable’ Mean When it Comes to Housing in Cincinnati? With all the recent discussion about housing, things can get complicated. Here is a crash-course on what constitutes “affordable” housing in Cincinnati BY N I C K S WA RT S E L L This story is the second in a series on housing insecurity in Greater Cincinnati

ver the past few years, Greater Cincinnati’s need for more affordable housing has gotten increasing media coverage and attention from local elected officials. And it seems somewhat clear — rents have increased and research shows large gaps between the number of available rental housing units and area

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residents, especially those with low incomes, looking for housing. But in all the discussion about housing, things can get complicated. Federal and local subsidies for housing are riddled with acronyms and formulas that can be confusing at first glance. And some housing advocates say not all housing that is called “affordable” by those metrics directly addresses the needs recent research has suggested are the most pressing in

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Cincinnati and Hamilton County. To that end, here is a crash-course for what constitutes “affordable” housing here.

What Does “Affordable” Mean? First, a baseline: The federal government considers housing affordable when a person or family is spending no more than one-third of their income on rent or a mortgage plus utilities. Spending more than that — as about 44,000 lower-income families in Greater Cincinnati are doing, according to research by LISC Greater Cincinnati and Xavier University’s Community Building Institute — means that family is “cost burdened” by the federal government’s standards. More than one in four Cincinnati households is below the federal poverty line — that’s about $13,000 a year for a single person or $21,000 for a threeperson family with one child as of last year — and those families generally can’t afford housing at Cincinnati’s Census-measured median rent of $709 a month. Instead, affordable rent for a single person at that level is about $325 a month.

Where Does Affordable Housing Come From? Some housing is what is called “naturally affordable” — that is, the market dictates rents that match up with the incomes of people in the area who need housing. That kind of housing, however, has decreased in recent years — either due to rising rents or disinvestment that has left it vacant or in an unlivable condition. There are a number of programs that seek to address the gap in “naturally affordable” housing nationally and locally. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds both public housing through the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (which operates about 5,000 units housing 10,000 people) and subsidized housing owned by private landlords through the Section 8 program (which serves about 11,000 people in Greater Cincinnati). Both of these programs have long waiting lists — when the waiting lists are open — and have seen decreases in funding over the last three decades. The programs have their own income maximums — generally 50 percent of CONTINUES ON PAGE 09

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NEWS

Historic District Aims to Preserve East Price Hill’s Past — and Fuel its Future BY N I C K S WA RT S E L L

A two-block stretch of East Price Hill will be Cincinnati’s next historic district after a unanimous vote by Cincinnati City Council Feb 5. The designation isn’t just about the past, supporters say — it’s also about looking toward the future. The district along Warsaw Avenue between Hawthorne and Purcell avenues contains 16 historic structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that are significant to the area’s initial urbanization, proponents of the historic district say. The district designation sets historic guidelines for rehabilitation or modification of the buildings there, as well as an added review process for demolition applications for any of the historic structures. Seven of the buildings in the district have been acquired by nonprofit Price Hill Will, which has plans for what it calls the Warsaw Avenue Creative Campus there. Those buildings will house creative nonprofits on their first floors and 19 affordable apartments above. Another historic building, a former Masonic lodge on Purcell Avenue built in 1911, sits outside the historic district but will also be part of the Creative Campus. That building is undergoing renovations funded by the city and state tax credits and will be a performance space for nonprofit MYCincinnati, which is a program of neighborhood community development corporation Price Hill Will. MYCincinnati calls itself a “musical family” that provides tuition-free music education for students and parents in the Price Hill area via a string orchestra, wind and percussion ensembles, a youth employment initiative and other programs. It also helps support an artist-in-residency program and spearheads the annual Price Hill Creative Community Festival, which takes place in the recently-designated historic district. Price Hill Will hopes to apply for Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabs in the district and is partnering with the Model Group to apply for New Market Tax Credits. Those credits will go in part toward renovating the affordable apartments. “We have an extreme need for more high-quality, affordable apartments in the area,” Rachel Hastings of Price Hill Will says. “We’re excited to create this historic district to promote corridor revitalization and to bring affordable apartments back to the neighborhood.” Price Hill Will’s other partner, Santa Maria Community Services, owns other buildings in the district. Santa Maria provides social services for roughly 4,000 residents around Price Hill, including employment aid, financial training, health and wellness education, immigrant outreach to Price Hill’s considerable Central American population, youth development and

A historic illustration of Price Hill circa the late 1800s P H OTO : L I B R A RY O F C O N G R E S S

other programs. While nonprofits look toward the corridor’s future, there is also plenty of past to preserve — Price Hill’s history runs deep. Indigenous groups, including the so-called Woodland peoples and later Shawnee and Miami, occupied the region before European settlers arrived. The area’s original name — Bold Face Hill — is taken from a local Miami indigenous leader who some accounts suggest died in the area. Non-indigenous settlement of Price Hill dates back to 1791, when the first known white settler, William Terry, built his home on Bold Face Hill. The area remained predominantly agricultural until upper-middle-class families and commercial developers, aided by the inclines built in 1874 by sons of neighborhood namesake and local landowner Rees E. Price, began settling in the elevated area to escape the congested and sooty industrial climes of the basin below. A horse-drawn streetcar between the incline house at the top of the hill and Warsaw Avenue added in 1885 and subsequent electric streetcar lines added in 1894 sped the growth of the commercial district. By 1920, thousands of people lived in Price Hill, most of them Irish or German Catholic. Buildings in the roughly two-block proposed district, which date from 1885

to 1923, are a largely intact snapshot of the time when development began accelerating rapidly. They are mostly mixed-use, having once housed restaurants, bakeries, butcher shops, offices for local doctors and other commercial spaces on their ground floors with housing above. They include examples of Beaux Arts, Commercial Vernacular, Italianate, Italian Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival and Second Empire-style architecture. “Sparked by early forms of transportation, the early commercial development along Warsaw Avenue encouraged urban expansion along the western hilltops and west of downtown Cincinnati,” a report by Price Hill Will, the East Price Hill Improvement Association and CityStudios Architecture firm reads. “The intact district is a visual account of urban expansion during the turn of the twentieth century in Cincinnati. The district retains the overall feel and visual character of its original streetscape dating back to the development of Price Hill. The cohesiveness and variety of the urban architecture is unique to Price Hill.” The district also includes the iconic Beaux Arts Price Hill Library building, which was finished in 1910. That building is one of nine in the city built using funds from wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The historic district also includes a historic police station,

still in use, and the Price Hill Firehouse, an 1889 Romanesque Revival structure that is currently home to MYCincinnati. All but one of the buildings in the proposed district contribute to its historic fabric, according to Cincinnati Preservation Association’s Margo Warminski. That’s “very unusual” for a historic district, she told council’s Economic Growth and Zoning Committee. Warminksi says the district is the first such designation on Cincinnati’s west side. East of the historic district, development efforts have been underway for several years. Those include the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, built in 2015, the Incline Public House, a restaurant opened in 2013 that echoes a historic eatery that stood at the top of the neighborhood’s incline until the 1930s and Bloc Coffee Company, which opened at its new location near the theater in 2018. “Our community is very happy to see this designation move forward,” East Price Hill Improvement Association President Sheila Rosenthal told Cincinnati City Council. “It’s important to our community to continue the revitalization of the Warsaw Avenue business district that we’ve been working on for many years.”

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CITY DESK

Cincinnati to Pilot Cost-Free Energy Efficiency Aid for LowerIncome Renters BY N I C K S WA RT S E L L

Utilities are an often-hidden cost of housing, especially in older Cincinnati buildings during the cold winter months. And struggling to heat an inefficient apartment building is also a source of unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. A new program called WarmUp Cincy aims to tackle both of those issues. Now in a pilot phase, the partnership between the City of Cincinnati, the Community Action Agency, People Working Cooperatively, the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) and the American Cities Climate Challenge will help 65 families over a 90-day period with a home energy assessment, basic energy-efficiency upgrades, information on reducing energy consumption, a family energy strategy and, if necessary, financial help with getting utilities reconnected. Those services will come at no cost to the households who participate. The program is funded in part by a 2015 over-billing settlement

with utility Duke Energy. Some of the money from that settlement goes to energy efficiency programs. To be eligible, households must be making less than 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline. That amounts to less than $40,000 a year for a family of three. After the 90-day pilot, the city will look at ways to scale up the program to serve more renters throughout Cincinnati, including potential whole-building strategies for energy efficiency. In its 2018 Green Cincinnati Plan, the city set a goal of reducing energy burden in the city by 10 percent. The pilot program could help, leaving moderateincome families with more money for other necessities, city officials say. “This program fills a void for our most vulnerable populations by providing residents with direct assistance to keep their families warm,” Mayor John Cranley said in a statement. “Choosing to pay a heating bill or for groceries is no choice at all. This assistance will

Cincinnati Police Captain Cited for OVI BY N I C K S WA RT S E L L A captain with the Cincinnati Police Department was pulled over and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Loveland on Feb. 9, according to police in the Cincinnati suburb. Cincinnati Police Capt. Amanda Caton was driving with her husband, CPD Lt. Patrick Caton when the two were spotted by Loveland Police drifting across traffic lanes shortly before 2:30 a.m. An officer pulled Caton’s car over and detected the odor of alcohol, according to a police report. Caton was driving her personal car at the time of the incident, according to an email from Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney to Cincinnati City Council. The arrest report details several specific alleged moments during the incident, including Capt. Caton asking, “does it help that I’m a police officer” in a slurred voice and Lt. Caton growing increasingly belligerent and confrontational as the stop continued. Capt. Caton allegedly pulled a loaded firearm from her purse to give to a Loveland officer, according to the report, and later swayed during a field sobriety test. After she was taken to the police station and cited for driving under the influence, Loveland officers took her back to her home, where Lt. Caton was arriving and allegedly told the officers to “be sure to tell your moms that you met real cops tonight.” Lt. Caton was involved in the 2000 death of Roger Owensby, Jr., an

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unarmed 29-year-old Marine veteran, during an attempted arrest. Lt. Caton was acquitted of wrongdoing in Owensby’s death, but was later fired by CPD after an internal investigation. Arbitration eventually won him back his job as well as $200,000 in back pay. Lt. Caton and another officer tackled, choked and punched Owensby while handcuffed. He subsequently died in the back of the police cruiser. In later interviews and testimony, Lt. Caton admitted to punching Owensby both on the ground and in the cruiser, saying he did so with the palm of his hand so he wouldn’t break his fingers and because it caused more pain. Lt. Caton’s personnel file, obtained through an earlier public records request, features a number of glowing reviews from superiors. But he has also had other disciplinary incidents, including a reprimand for using racial slurs while on duty, for which he was briefly suspended. According to a statement released by CPD, Capt. Caton’s police powers have been suspended pending an investigation into her alleged OVI. “This incident involves a pending criminal matter, so we cannot release additional information at his time,” that release states. Capt. Caton joined CPD in 2004. She was promoted to captain last June. She pleaded not guilty at a Feb. 14 court appearance.

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help ease that burden.” Energy access is a large and underappreciated issue in the city. A 2016 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that Greater Cincinnatians face the eighth-worst energy affordability of the country’s 48 largest metro regions. That situation is even worse for low-income individuals in the city limits, subsequent research by the GCEA found. In a study released in September last year, GCEA looked into energy burden by Cincinnati neighborhood and Census tract. Energy burden is the percentage of income a household pays for energy use — a figure that silently contributes to housing costs. A household that pays more than 6 percent of its monthly income for energy is said to be in “energy poverty.” The median energy burden for lowincome neighborhoods in Cincinnati was more than 9 percent, according to the GCEA study.

A major contributor to that burden is aging housing stock, with buildings that aren’t well insulated or which have inefficient HVAC systems. Lack of knowledge about energy efficiency measures and differing incentives for the high upfront cost of measures fixing those problems also contributes to energy burden, as does poverty itself. “Energy costs that may be affordable to a middle-class household may not be affordable to a low-income household,” the GCEA study explains. “In fact, lowincome households spend three times more of their income on energy bills than higher-income households.” Of neighborhoods with significant population, Winton Hills had the highest energy burden at 15 percent, followed by the Villages at Roll Hill, Millvale, West End and Lower Price Hill. Other neighborhoods with low median household incomes were also among the 16 in the city experiencing energy poverty, according to the study.

Ohio Lawmakers to Introduce Bill Barring Certain Medical Care for Transgender Minors BY N I C K S WA RT S E L L Conservative lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives will introduce a bill that prohibits doctors from prescribing hormones or performing gender confirmation surgery for minors who identify as transgender. Republican State Reps. Bill Dean and Ron Hood say the bill is still being drafted. They held a news conference Feb. 12 in Columbus with supporters of the bill, including two parents, Columbus-based pediatrician John Wells Logan and representatives from conservative activist group Citizens for Community Values. According to the lawmakers, the “Protect Vulnerable Children Act” would levy legal penalties against doctors who provide the genderbased treatments to those under 18. “What we’re trying to accomplish in this bill is that these procedures cannot be done. It would cause sterilization, irreparable damage to children that can’t be reversed,” Hood told media at the news event in Columbus. “That’s what makes this such a problem. Decisions made in childhood that are very, very permanent and cause sterilization cannot be reversed.” Some medical and LGBTQ rights groups have sounded staunch opposition to the proposed law, however, noting that gender

reassignment surgeries for those under 18 are exceedingly rare and that treatments that block puberty are reversible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends some of the therapies banned by the legislation Ohio lawmakers are considering. Some physicians and mental health experts say that such therapies can lower risk of suicide among minors who identify as transgender. “Evidence-based policy statements and clinical guidelines — published by every mainstream pediatric medical professional association — speak for themselves and are paving the path for minors to receive care that promotes the healthy outcomes the youth deserve,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital THRIVE Gender Development Program Medical Director Dr. Scott Leibowitz said in a statement. Leibowitz argues that the legislation would put doctors in a position of choosing between the Hippocratic Oath and the law. Ten other states have recently considered or are still considering similar bans, including Kentucky. A bill banning procedures related to gender transition for minors passed the South Dakota House of Representatives in January, but was voted down in the state Senate.

FROM PAGE 04

the area’s overall median income, or about $26,000 a year for a single person — that decide who is and isn’t eligible for these forms of subsidized housing. There is another way the federal government tries to partner with the private market to provide affordable housing: the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. These tax credits, paid for by HUD and administered by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), are available on a limited, competitive basis for developers across the state each year. Developers who win them use them to attract investors — generally, corporate entities that pay somewhat less than face value to use the tax credits upfront so they can reap longerterm tax savings. In return, developers get about 70 percent of the capital they need to construct — but not operate over the long-term — affordable housing. OHFA also runs other programs — including the Ohio Housing Trust Fund — that fund affordable housing for low-and moderate-income people. But LIHTC has become the big driver of affordable housing development in recent years. OHFA says it has funded more than 100,000 units of affordable housing across the state since 1987, including 7,000 in Cincinnati. Cincinnati also administers some federal dollars it puts toward subsidized housing projects through a process it calls Notice of Funding Availability. NOFA can be used to close financing gaps in affordable projects funded by things like LIHTC and is also used for some projects without affordability benchmarks that the city determines are beneficial and would not otherwise happen without city help.

How Affordable is “Affordable” Housing? When they compete for and win LIHTC or certain NOFA funding, developers agree that the housing they build must remain affordable for at least 15 years at an agreed-upon level that is determined by a measure called “Area Median Income,” or AMI. This is where things can get tricky. HUD uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s measurement of AMI for counties and metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) like Cincinnati. HUD generates Area Median Income measurements for various household sizes. AMI here for a single-person household, for example, is about $57,000 a year. Rents on projects funded through either Low Income Housing Tax Credit or the city’s NOFA program depend on a developer’s application and development plans. Those can be affordable to people making between 30 percent AMI (up to about $17,000 for a single person, or $425 a month in rent and utilities) to 80 percent AMI (up to about $45,600, or $1,100 a month in rent and utilities for a single person) or more. There is another set of benchmarks associated with more moderate to middle-income earners called “workforce housing,” occasionally called

“workforce affordable housing.” Those projects are generally between 80 percent AMI and 120 percent AMI — units that can go as high as $1,500 a month for a single person, using HUD’s 30 percent of income metric. 2019 AMI Levels (and associated monthly rents) for Greater Cincinnati (per HUD): • 30 percent AMI: $17,000 for a single person maximum; at that income, up to $425 a month in rent and utilities is affordable. • 60 percent AMI: $34,000 for a single person maximum; up to $880 a month in rent and utilities is affordable at this income per OHFA. • 80 percent AMI: $45,600 for a single person maximum; up to $1,100 a month in rent and utilities is affordable at this income. • 100 percent AMI: $57,000 for a single person maximum; up to $1,400 a month in rent and utilities is affordable at this income.

Do Local Efforts Match the Need? The 2017 Community Building Institute/LISC Greater Cincinnati study identified a need for roughly 25,000 units of housing in urban areas in Hamilton County (mostly Cincinnati) affordable for people making about $15,000 a year or less — that is, less than 30 percent AMI or near federal poverty guidelines. That gap grows much smaller as income goes up. While much of Cincinnati’s housing gap is toward the bottom of the income range, a number of recent affordable projects in Cincinnati have tended toward the middle and upper ends of HUD’s AMI range. Of the 11 projects partly funded by the city’s NOFA process over two rounds in 2019, for example, only two contained units at 30 percent AMI. One, the Arts Apartments, contained existing, not new, units. The other, Perseverance in OTR, has four of its 32 units at 30 percent AMI, while the rest are at higher price points. Of the rest of the NOFA-funded projects, 80 units were funded at around 60 percent AMI (about $850 a month for a single person) and another 37 were funded for households making 80 percent AMI. NOFA also funded the construction of four houses in Madisonville for homeowners making 120 percent AMI in the last round of funding. Most recent projects using LIHTC have at least some 30 percent AMI units, though generally they are a small percentage of the overall project. Using AMI as a gauge is a problem in and of itself, some affordable housing advocates suggest. That’s because there is a big mismatch between the overall median income of the entire metropolitan area

— including much wealthier suburbs — and the city itself, including some of its historically low-income neighborhoods where housing is being built. For example, median income for one person in the entire metropolitan area is $20,000 higher than it is in Cincinnati, and HUD’s 60 percent AMI level for the metropolitan area is well more than double the $15,000 median household income found in neighborhoods like the West End. So housing considered “affordable” by that area-wide measure may still be far more than residents in some communities can pay. Housing Needs in Hamilton County (via 2017 Community Building Institute/LISC Greater Cincinnati study) • Household income of $15,000 or less (roughly 30 percent AMI): 25,000 units of affordable housing needed in urban Hamilton County, 40,000 units needed across entire county. • Household income of $24,000 or less (just less than 50 percent AMI): 17,700 units of affordable housing needed in urban Hamilton County, 38,000 units needed across entire county. • Household income of $39,000 or less: 560 units of affordable housing needed in urban Hamilton County, 13,500 units needed across entire county. • Household income of $49,000 or less (just over 80 percent AMI): 4,600 units of housing available in urban Hamilton County, 7,000 units needed across entire county. • Household income of $59,000 or less (just over 100 percent AMI): 7,000 units of housing available in urban Hamilton County, 3,000 units available across entire county.

What is the City Doing? In past years, Cincinnati has lagged Ohio’s other major cities when it comes to developer applications for LIHTC, the federal housing tax credits. But that seems to be changing. As developers compete for and win more of those credits, it could help ease the affordability crunch. Cincinnati City Council member David Mann last year pushed for the creation of an affordable housing trust fund for the city. Other cities have taken that route. Last May, Columbus voters approved a bond issue that will generate $50 million for affordable housing, Franklin County paid $17 million into the fund, and private investment from banks and other corporations poured $100 million into another fund for affordable housing. Cincinnati’s trust isn’t well-funded yet, but a program called VTICA that gets contributions from developers who receive city tax abatements could slowly fill those coffers.

Activist groups have pushed Cincinnati to fund affordable housing at levels similar to Columbus, even promising a ballot initiative to do so. The city’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has acknowledged that subsidy will be required for housing affordable to the city’s lowest-income residents and makes recommendations for increasing that kind of housing, including expanding the city’s applications for federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, marketing the city’s recently created federal Opportunity Zones for affordable housing development and other measures.

Key Affordable Housing Terms and Facts • Affordable housing is generally considered housing that costs no more than one-third of a person or family’s income including rent and utilities. • AMI, or Area Median Income, is the measure of what the median household makes in a county or metropolitan area. • CMHA, or the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, is the agency that administers public housing in Greater Cincinnati. It provides roughly 5,000 units of housing to 10,000 people with incomes below 50 percent of the area’s median income. • LIHTC, or Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, are issued by the federal government through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency to fund the construction — but not ongoing operation — of affordable housing built by private developers. Those developers compete for those credits and agree to keep their developments affordable at a certain level — generally between 30 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income — for at least 15 years. • NOFA, or Notice of Funding Availability, is a competitive twice-yearly program the City of Cincinnati uses to award funds to developers for affordable housing and other development projects. • OHFA, or the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, is the state agency responsible for funding affordable housing and administering federal tax credits for it. • Section 8 is a program that allows low-income residents the opportunity to choose their rental housing, so long as a landlord accepts the vouchers issued by HUD for housing. CMHA administers about 11,000 Section 8 vouchers in Greater Cincinnati.

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Cincyâ€™s Past, Present and Future Brewing Scene + 51 Taprooms Bad Tom Smith Brewing | PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

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EXAMINING THE COMPLEX HISTORY, MULTIPLE CONFLAGRATIONS AND REASONS TO HOPE FOR OVER-THE-RHINE’S 1800S JACKSON BREWERY BUILDING By Michael D. Morgan

he Jackson Brewery, a castle-like edifice lording above Over-the-Rhine at the nexus of Elm and Mohawk streets, is the vestige of more than 170years of unbreakable tenacity, a history of heroism, narcissism, bad ideas, a little criminality and a lot of stubborn hope. Ravaged by fire in December 2019 — an alleged act of arson that caused a reported $500,000 in damages — the fate of the Jackson Brewery building now hangs in the balance, a looming test of Cincinnati’s dedication to preserving our storied brewing history. According to legend, George Schmelzer built the brewery in 1829, but booze history often suffers from fuzzy recollections. (Schmelzer didn’t buy the land until 1845, so this date is probably exaggerated.) In truth, brothers Meinrad and Fridolin Kleiner gave the Jackson Brewery its name and built the brewhouse that now stands in peril. The Kleiner family ran their own brewery in Prussia (later part of Germany) for 150 years before

the German Revolution of 1848, when Meinrad got involved in politics. During the revolution, there was a mostly peaceful shift in power that temporarily unified the German states as one democratic government until the right-wing systematically reestablished control. By the end of 1849, the brewery and the family’s assets were seized by a reinstated autocracy in retribution for Meinrad’s progressivism, and the brothers set off for the U.S. as “Forty-Eighters” — German immigrants that left the Fatherland as a result of the counter-revolutions. Landing in New Orleans broke, Meinrad took a job as a waiter, but by 1854 the brothers had united in a new business venture in Cincinnati. They purchased the brewery at the head of Elm Street and renamed it “Jackson.” Although best known today for his starring role on the $20 bill and his accomplishments as a ranting, genocidal sociopath, Andrew Jackson was better known in the 19th century as the symbol of populist, working-class democracy — the same basic

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ideologies that had gotten the Kleiners booted out of Prussia. The brothers prospered, but five years into their ownership, the Jackson Brewery was gutted by fire. They immediately rebuilt, but they also began purchasing the hillside above the original brewery to build the larger, better brewhouse that stands today (finished circa 1865 despite what other sources say.) Under the Kleiners’s tutelage, Jackson became one of the city’s largest and most respected breweries. Then, Fridolin Kleiner died in 1869 and Meinrad followed four years later. Meinrad’s demise was called “wholly unexpected” at the time, but it’s not much of a medical mystery. He was President of the “Independent Order of Fat Men of Cincinnati,” a group of obese gentlemen who enjoyed getting together, getting hammered and celebrating their girth. The Kleiner heirs sold the brewery to George Weber, a flamboyant narcissist. Weber was rich — at least that’s what he said. But Weber was a liar. He

only put $1 down on the brewery and financed the eventually falling into vacancy and disrepair. It was the region’s historic jewels. Built in the Rundbogenrest by relying on his reputation as a wildly successful then purchased by architect Denny Dellinger in 2001. stil style, a specifically German version of Romanbusinessman — a reputation that was premised He says that when he first experienced the building’s esque Revival architecture, the Kleiner brothers may entirely on his own bullshit. grand enormity, he thought, “I have to be able to do have chosen the design as a bitter-tinged tribute to Weber immediately slapped his own name on the something with this.” the family brewery that they were forced to leave. brewery, then went about the work of wrecking the Dellinger cordoned off a single room in the Today, “Jackson Brewery Kleiner Bros” is still spelled business. He quickly alienated his fellow brewers, massive structure and lived there like the last out in stone at the top of the damaged façade. had debilitating cash-flow problems and had to seek member of some dethroned royal family keeping a On the morning following the December fire at court protection from creditors within eight months. light burning until the rightful heirs return. He relied Jackson, media reported Cincinnati firefighters had Bankruptcy did nothing to humble him. He continon a small wood stove to survive winters. Dellinger’s declared the building a “total loss” after the roof ued to insult fellow brewers and battle with creditors dogs kept him company and acted as security, collapsed, and there was gossip some in the city and the court-appointed trustees who were making backed up by a shotgun under his cot. The situation meant to finish the work of the alleged arsonist and the business solvent again. Weber’s wars reached a didn’t inspire Better Homes & Gardens to come raze the historic brewery. However, Fred Berger, crescendo when a battle erupted over physical concalling for a feature, but looking back, Dellinger still the building’s current owner, pushed back, and the trol of the Jackson Brewery. Weber loyalists took over says that “it was glorious.” community rallied behind the cause of saving the the office early one morning, barred the doors and Dellinger was forced to part ways with the buildJackson Brewery for future development. With the fired the men who were loyal to the competent courting in 2007. As one of the founding members of the help of several Cincinnati City Council members appointed trustees who, in turn, rallied the newly Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment and City Manager Patrick Duhaney, Berger and unemployed to storm the brewery and take back Corporation, he helped spark interest in north Overthe community appear to now be engaged in a control. In the melee that followed, foreman William the-Rhine, and he owned the building when the city’s conversation about the options ahead. Gerst tried to throw a brewer into When Berger purchased the a furnace. building in 2012, it was primarUltimately, Weber won the ily a liability. After decades of battle and Gerst lost his job — neglect, the roof was unsound, as a result of his loyalty to the and structural walls were of trustees rather than for attemptquestionable integrity. He says he ing to murder a co-worker. With bought the building out of a love the backing of Christian Moerlein, for Cincinnati history and a desire Gerst went on to purchase the to save the Jackson Brewery from Nashville Brewery. (As the Gerst a slow demise. Over the past five Brewing Company, it became the years, he says he spent hundreds flagship brewer of Nashville. So, of thousands of dollars of his Nashville, you’re welcome, and own money on masonry, roof thanks for the chicken.) and structural repairs. This work Greed and another fire sunk is largely attributed to why the Weber. After employing various building was able to withstand acts of fraud to pay off the brewthe December conflagration ery’s debts, Weber was briefly and remain structurally sound, reinstated as the principal owner for now. It is extremely difficult of the business before quickly to insure a vacant building, so driving it off the first financial cliff Berger didn’t have a casualty available. A new partner bailed policy. Most of the money he has him out, and Weber rewarded invested in Jackson’s renaissance him by running up debts the went up in flames. partner didn’t know about. Then, Jackson Brewery’s next chapter when a Roman Candle ignited the — like the future of the city’s brewery’s malthouse at 12th and rapidly evolving beer business Clay streets on July 4, 1887, resultitself — remains uncertain. Some ing in a massive fire that killed members of the Brewery District two people, the under-insured have discussed raising money for L to R: Jackson Brewery after the December fire; drone image of Jackson’s rooftop | PHOTOS: TOM SAVOCA Weber couldn’t survive. He was a revolving loan fund that could finally forced out of the business be used to assist the restoration and took a job at a hotel, where he of Jackson, then provide friendly later died of a heart attack on the job. first brewery tours showcased Jackson’s massive and flexible terms to subsequent restoration projects. The Jackson Brewery — restored to its proper name lagering cellars in 2006. Preservation revolving loan funds have been — recovered from Weber’s reign and moved on. A lot has changed in the intervening years. When successful in other cities for decades. When Prohibition descended on Cincinnati, the Kleiner brothers bought the brewery, the city Berger describes himself as “just a caretaker” of Jackson was busted in the first major raids conducted was in the midst of an unprecedented growth in the Jackson Brewery, a short moment in a long, rich by federal agents in 1920. Brewery officials paid a the industry. Greater Cincinnati’s less than a dozen and twisted history. Generations before and ahead fine, reopened and Jackson lived on to also be the breweries grew to a peak of 36 between 1850 and all hang in the balance, and however Berger decides last Cincinnati brewery to face Volstead violations in 1860. The Jackson Brewery bore witness to a similar to move forward from the latest adversity to face the December 1928. The feds brought criminal charges growth in recent years. Thanks in large part to the Jackson Brewery, the project is going to need the help against brewery executives and the Treasurer of the Brewery District’s pioneering work, Cincinnati has a of a city that has developed a renewed pride in its State of Ohio in a conspiracy that implicated Ohio’s growing heritage tourism business, one in which the brewing heritage. Jackson will either be lost to fire or Governor and a senator. Brewery officials went to Jackson Brewery still plays a prominent role. saved by the city around it. jail and the Jackson Brewery finally closed in 1929. Steve Hampton, executive director of the Brewery Reopening after Prohibition in 1933, it ran into District C.U.R.C., states that the next phase of the Michael D. Morgan is the president of Queen City immediate financial problems, was sold in 1934, multi-million-dollar Brewing Heritage Trail — an History and Education; a curator of the Cincinnati faltered for a while and closed in 1943. No beer has immersive self-guided history tour that opened in Brewing Heritage Trail; author of Cincinnati Beer and been brewed in the building since. April 2019 and of which I am a curator — will include Over-the-Rhine: When Beer Was King; attorney; and The Jackson Brewery lost its identity over the years, Jackson. Hampton notes that the building is one of adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.

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ESOTERIC BREWING, CINCINNATI’S FIRST MINORITY-OWNED BREWERY, IS SLATED TO OPEN THIS MAY IN WALNUT HILLS’ HISTORIC PARAMOUNT BUILDING By Garin Pirnia

n May, the long-awaited Esoteric Brewing is slated to open in Walnut Hills, adding to an already packed local craft brewery scene. However, it won’t be just another brewery. Esoteric lead brewer and CEO Brian Jackson is the brainchild behind the project, which he announced in 2017. A decade ago, he was majoring in pre-med at the University of Cincinnati, but when he tried a Bell’s Pale Ale at Columbia Tusculum’s Stanley’s Pub, his life changed. “That was an a-ha moment,” Jackson says. “I had never had craft beer like that before. I was sitting at the bar and was looking at my phone: ‘How do you brew beer?’ Maybe I could do that for a living?” Realizing the connection between science and brewing, he bought a home brewing kit and started brewing beer in his mom’s kitchen. He eventually landed a job at local Cavalier Distributing, and four years ago started working at MadTree, where he is still employed as a “gypsy brewer” (according to his job description on the website). In fact, you can currently try Brian’s Journey of a Thousand Miles, an imperial Russian stout collaboration between MadTree and Esoteric, described as “an ode to the path leading up to Esoteric Brewing opening up soon in Walnut Hills. As (Jackson’s) journey at MadTree comes to an end, another begins.” Wanting to open his own brewery, Jackson enrolled in Over-the-Rhine business accelerator MORTAR’s entrepreneurship program; through it he met and partnered with Marvin Abrinica. Abrinica wasn’t enrolled in MORTAR — he runs a local crowdfunding portal called Wunderfund. Together, they raised almost $800,000 for Esoteric through crowdfunding. That enabled them to move into and revitalize the 1930s Art Deco Paramount Building, which was once a department store but had been fallow for decades. They’ve been working on rehab with the help of the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, The Model Group and New Republic Architects. The Paramount Building is part of a multimillion-dollar redevelopment project, located at Peebles Corner in Walnut Hills, called Paramount Square. The project already contains some bars and restaurants and will eventually have residences. The

Port describes the “community-driven” revitalization of the area as “an emerging commercial district punctuated by minority-owned microenterprise.” That descriptor highlights one thing that sets Esoteric apart from other Cincinnati breweries: Jackson and Abrinica are minorities. Jackson is black and Abrinica is Filipino. Esoteric will be the first minority-owned brewery within Cincinnati’s city limits. (Blue Ash’s Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati had minority owners, but it shuttered last year.) “We definitely feel like breaking through glass ceilings are a good thing,” Jackson says “Not having many black-owned or minority breweries in Cincinnati, it’s a great thing. It feels like we’re starting to diversify

in the taproom. “A lot of breweries feel like garages,” Jackson says. “They have a cold vibe to them. They’re loud and they’re not very inviting.” The 6,000-square-foot public space will have an Art Deco speakeasy vibe, with lounge chairs, cocktail tables and a waitstaff. Because the brewing equipment will be housed in the basement, a viewing space will be carved out so customers can look down into the brew hub. As for food, they’ve partnered with grilled cheese truck C’est Cheese, which will serve food from a window inside the taproom. Esoteric will start off with draft-only traditional beers that reflect their lotus flower logo — Illuminati amber ale, Caliginous stout and Nirvana Belgian quad — but eventually expand into bottling. The symbol is “a metaphor that represents the beauty that fights through adversity to rise out (of ) the ashes,” reads the website. More important than the beer is Esoteric’s ethos of driving social change. “We want to be more than just a brewery,” Jackson says. “One of the reasons I wanted to get into business or premed was because I always wanted to help people and create some sort of positive social change. The vision ultimately is to leverage our resources to make some sort of positive impact. I know a lot of breweries out here are doing a lot of great work. They’re supporting their communities and supporting nonprofits. We want to do the same, although we want to take it a step further in having a direct Exterior of Esoteric Brewing | PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER impact on people’s lives for the better.” Some of those proposed and bring in more people to the brewing scene.” initiatives include helping people register to vote, A 2018 Brewers Association survey discovered that paying employees a living wage, holding a job 85 percent of craft beer drinkers are white. interviewing seminar and donating books to local “I don’t think it’s ever been something that’s been schools. targeted toward a more diverse crowd,” Jackson says “Right now, the market seems to be slowing down,” about the industry. “And whether or not it’s because Jackson says. “We’re getting into it a little late. But we people might walk by and look inside and see that want to have a good time and not say the bottom line there’s not a lot of people who look like me and a lot is more important than the culture.” of my friends aren’t going there or working there.” Esoteric Brewing is located at 900 E. McMillan St., But Esoteric advocates for a diverse crowd, both in Walnut Hills. Follow Esoteric’s progress at terms of employees and customers. esotericbrewing.com. With the brewery’s design, Jackson and team will continue to buck the system: They will not install TVs

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BAD TOM SMITH BREWING OPENS A BIGGER TAPROOM AND BREWERY IN MADISONVILLE AS OWNERS CONTEMPLATE EXPANSION BEYOND CINCINNATI AND CLEVELAND By Sean M. Peters

The exterior of Bad Tom’s Madisonville brewery and taproom | PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

t all started with the story of an infamous Kentucky outlaw: Bad Tom confessed to killing six men before meeting his maker at the scaffolds — “bad whiskey and bad women” were to blame, so he said. Today, Bad Tom Smith Brewing, co-founded by Sean Smith, a distant relative of Bad Tom and now head brewer, harkens back to that outlaw legacy with the motto of “Bad ass in a glass.” Originally located in Linwood, the brewery recently opened a new taproom in Madisonville in a former bank, complete with a century-old vault. Current owners John and Sheryl Vojtush purchased Bad Tom in 2015 and now live in Pittsburgh, where they manage the Bad Tom taproom-breweries in Cincinnati and Cleveland; the Cleveland operation opened in December 2017. John, who works in IT, and his wife, who worked for Bayer, got involved with Bad Tom after seeing an abundance of entrepreneurial opportunities in the brewing industry. “We saw the brewing industry in general and, more specifically, in Cincinnati, how it was something that was part of the economic evolution of the community and its revitalization,” John says. After purchasing Bad Tom, they renovated the Linwood location, with plans to expand to a larger space. Three years ago, they signed on to a $25 million development project at the corner of Madison Road and Whetsel Avenue in Madisonville with the Ackermann Group. John says Bad Tom is the first retailer who has committed to the project, but that 315 apartments will be built on the block in the next two-plus years. “We were really surprised at how much the community, much of which goes back many generations, have been wanting to have a brewery in their community.

And they’ve been incredibly supportive,” he says. The first tenants of some of those aforementioned apartment complexes are slated to move in April 1, according to John. He’s hoping those new to the neighborhood and long-term residents will both see the taproom as a common space. “Madisonville is a very old community, many generations of families have grown up there. There’s a lot of concern around the gentrification that may be coming as a result of a project like this, so we look at ourselves as somebody who is bridging the old community and the new community,” he says. “We welcome everybody.” The brewery currently offers 18 Bad Tom beers on tap, which include options like the 13 Preachers märzen, American Outlaw IPA and Redemption saison. The bar also offers cocktails, wine and John says Bad Tom Smith Bourbon is coming soon. “In terms of our brewing portfolio, we try to provide a broad range of styles and stay within the guard rails of those styles, meaning that we try to represent them in the way that, if a person’s going to try a porter, a stout, a pale, an IPA, it’s a traditional approach to those beers,” he says. He does call out their Kentucky Common, named Doc’s, as being a regionally inspired brew with a heavy malt presence that ties in with the Bad Tom tale. But being too unique or out there isn’t the goal. “The way I look at it is, we’re trying to appeal to the critical mass,” John says. “In the craft brewing industry, there are a lot of people that migrate toward that next thing, or, in some cases, you get pigeonholed. People believe that all millennials want are wild or sour beers, or women only want light beers. That’s a big misconception when you start categorizing people by demographics like that. What we’re trying

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to do is create a portfolio of beers that’s appealing to everyone.” While the taproom and brewery don’t make or serve their own food, they have partnered with Sweet & Meats BBQ food truck on select days during the week. The goal is to make some long-term decisions about in-house options within the next two months. John says they’ll hopefully add items like buffalo wings and entrée-type dishes to a line-up of Bavarian pretzels, popcorn and other snacks. While thinking about the current expansion of Bad Tom and future goals — John and his wife are looking at growing the brand in cities within a four-hour radius of Cincinnati, including Columbus, Northern Kentucky and Pittsburgh — he waxes poetic about how the brewery got its start. “The original owner, Sean Smith, who’s now our brewer, he along with two of his buddies were soccer dads. They decided to start this brewery and had no idea that it would turn into what they see today. I would venture to say that most of the other breweries that started out five years ago had no idea what it was going to look like today,” John says. “Which is why me and Sheryl got involved and decided we wanted to do something like this. We operate the day to day. While we don’t do the brewing, it is our objective to create an experience where we leverage our skills while also leveraging Sean’s skills from a brewing perspective to bring the best product to the community. Who knows what it’s going to look like five years from now, but we hope that Bad Tom’s footprint will be bigger than what you see today.” Bad Tom Smith Brewing, 5900 Madison Road, Madisonville, badtomsmithbrewing.com.

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3 POINTS URBAN BREWERY

Acting as a design-minded community hub, 3 Points Urban Brewery offers daytime coworking hours. As early as 9 a.m., you can shuffle in, get a pint of their Origami IPA — or an Urbana Cafe drip coffee if the only buzz you need is a caffeine one — and do your work in the chillest of settings. The taproom is spacious, covered in work by local artists and offers free WiFi, so you can stretch your legs before the happy hour hustle is in full swing. 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton, 3pointsbeer.com.

13 BELOW

Named for its location 13 miles “below” Cincinnati, this brewery is right on the Ohio River. With a corner pub-vibe, their small-batch beers can be enjoyed with friends, family and dogs — or in the beer garden when the weather warms. The pub now serves Incline Smoke Shack Handcrafted BBQ, featuring “dry-rubbed and slow-smoked” meats with a secret blend of wood and spices, plus from-scratch sauces served on the side. 7391 Forbes Road, Sayler Park, 13belowbrewery.com.

16 LOTS

Named after a historic land purchase by Revolutionary War officer Major William Mason, this warm and inviting family-friendly brewery crafts beers inspired by traditional German styles. The taproom also pours cider, wine, spirits and draft rootbeer. If you get hungry, order something from the in-house Mad Monks Pizza. Dogs are welcome on the patio. 753 Reading Road, Mason, 16lots.com.

ALEXANDRIA BREWING COMPANY

Founded by head brewer and veteran Andy Reynolds, Alexandria Brewing Co. is a family-friendly, community-oriented spot that celebrates “rock and roll, fun and the best beers around.” The smalltown brewery was built with the help of Kickstarter and features more than a dozen beers on draft, including “regulars” like Ann’s Sweet White Ale. For something different, try a beer cocktail like a Snakebite — your choice of cider layered with your choice of beer — or a housemade craft soda. The Gingerlicious is made with fresh ginger from Fairy Rose Farm. Four Mile Pig smallbatch barbecue has a stand tucked within Alexandria’s taproom if you get hungry. 7926 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria, alexandriabrewingcompany.com.

BAD TOM SMITH BREWING

It all started with the story of an infamous Kentucky outlaw: Bad Tom

confessed to killing six men before meeting his maker at the scaffolds — “bad whiskey and bad women” were to blame, so he said. Today, Bad Tom Smith Brewing (founded by a distant relative) harkens back to that outlaw legacy with the motto of “Bad ass in a glass.” The brewery, recently relocated to a former Madisonville bank (complete with a 120-year-old vault), offers an open, saloon vibe, 18 taps, Bad Tom Smith Bourbon and a partnership with Sweets & Meats BBQ. 5900 Madison Road, Madisonville, badtomsmithbrewing.com.

BRAXTON BREWING CO.

Rooted in the ethos and innovation forged in a Midwestern garage — founder Evan Rouse started homebrewing when he was just 16, before he could even taste his creations — Braxton celebrated its fourth anniversary in July by re-upping its commitment to Northern Kentucky, investing $5 million in its flagship location, adding a 5,000-square-foot rooftop patio and increasing its annual production and reach. The taproom pours 30 plus Braxton creations, from the year-round classics — like its Storm cream ale — to toasty bourbon-barrelaged brews and house brand (canned) Vive hard seltzers. 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.

BRAXTON BARREL HOUSE

The Braxton Barrel House in Fort Mitchell has taken over the former Remke Market building on Dixie Highway and features a 20-tap taproom and a 2,000-square-foot patio on the former loading dock, plus 20,000 square feet of storage for housing bourbon barrels and other assorted barrels to age beers. The Braxton Private Barrel program allows companies or groups of friends to create and follow their own barrel-aged beer from creation to packaging, resulting in a barrel of one-ofa-kind brew. 5 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, braxtonbrewing.com.

BRAXTON LABS

Braxton Labs features 40 taps dedicated to the brewery’s most innovative offerings, as well as brews from across the U.S. and around the world. It’s a destination for curious craft beer drinkers and offers something for everyone, including an outdoor beer garden with giant Connect Four. 95 Riviera Drive, Bellevue, braxtonbrewing.com.

BIG ASH BREWING

This beer “co-op” was founded by a group of 25 homebrewing friends in an Anderson Township basement in

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2011 and expanded to 52 friends by 2019. The group obtained the old El Rancho Grande restaurant space on Beechmont Avenue, gutted it and transformed it into Big Ash Brewing. Featuring a self-serve tap wall (with 28 taps), build-your-own-pizza and a spacious outdoor patio, Big Ash Brewing is an ideal spot for a casual night of eating, drinking and socializing. 5230 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township, bigashbrewing.com.

BIRCUS BREWING CO.

Ludlow, Kentucky’s nonexistent craft beer scene sent in the clowns, leading to the launch of Bircus Brewing Co., a branch of an original concept from Ghent, Belgium. Pronounce it like “beer-cuss,” a hybrid of beer and circus, as the brew shares the limelight with carnival performances at the taproom. Performers can do everything from breathe fire to fly on the trapeze. 322 Elm St., Ludlow, bircus.com.

BREWDOG

This Scotland-based brewery has expanded U.S. operations with a massive taproom in Pendleton. It’s the chain’s second-largest bar in America (with additional global spots in 60 countries including Germany, Spain, France and Finland, among others). The taproom features a large dining and bar area on the first floor, a game area on the loft-second floor and a rooftop patio. 316 Reading Road, Pendleton, brewdog.com/usa.

BRINK BREWING CO.

College Hill’s Brink Brewing is a neighborhood gathering space loaded with interactive features including a 20-seater community table, reclaimedwood bar and a gigantic Scrabble board that’s very popular with patrons after a few pints from the brewery’s wide-reaching tap list. Head to the bathroom to see more than three decades’ worth of collected beer labels. For the second year in a row, the brewery earned the title of Very Small Brewing Company of the Year at the Great American Beer Fest. 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, brinkbrewing.com.

CHRISTIAN MOERLEIN MALT HOUSE TAPROOM Enjoy a rich piece of Cincinnati’s brewing heritage at the Christian Moerlein craft brewery, taproom and tour center. Take a free tour of the production brewery and go inside the historic underground malt house from before Prohibition. Grab a beer from a prostmeister and a brat from Wienerwurst

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Mike’s Frankfurtary, serving up sausages, Bavarian pretzels and stuffed sandwiches. 1621 Moore St., Over-theRhine, facebook.com/christianmoerlein.

CINCY BREWING CO.

Filling a spot formerly long held by Rivertown Brewing Company (since relocated to Monroe), Cincy Brewing Co. is a place where locals can congregate, enjoy a casual atmosphere and drink a pint or three. Beers feature locally inspired names, like the Lincoln Heights IPA, and the taproom has cornhole, giant Jenga, board games and TVs. 607 Shepherd Drive, Lockland, facebook.com/cincybrewingco.

THE COMMON BEER CO.

Beer is a common ground between many different kinds of people, so this brewery’s name encourages the idea that the taproom be treated like a common area, where anyone is welcome. Mark and Amy Lortz opened their taproom in downtown Mason as a local spot offering booze and a bite. Find wine, liquor, food trucks, a snack menu and their own beer on tap by the glass, flight or growler. 126 E. Main St., Mason, commonbeercompany.com.

DARKNESS BREWING

The microbrewery focuses on the dark and unusual — stouts, porters and browns with ingredients like cacao nibs, lactose, coffee and roasted peppers. The Darkness Diner, a food truck parked in their front lot, prepares its own take on “fun comfort food recipes.” 224 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, darknessbrewing.beer.

DEAD LOW BREWING

Within walking distance of Coney Island and Riverbend Music Center, this brewery features a taproom, beer garden and kitchen. Dead Low serves beer, cider and seltzer brewed onsite, as well as a from-scratch food menu. Many dishes utilize Dead Low brews, like the beer-battered haddock sandwich and the beer cheesecake. 5959 Kellogg Ave., California, deadlowbrewing.com.

DOGBERRY BREWING

An ever-expanding nanobrewery helmed by two former scientists and passionate homebrewers, DogBerry’s taproom and brewhouse serves craft beer — made with fresh and regional ingredients whenever possible — and plays host to local food trucks. Check their Facebook for happy hour specials and various clubs, including those of the hot sauce, vinyl and mug variety. 9964 Crescent Park Drive, West

Chester, dogberrybrewing.com.

Memorial Municipal Building, HighGrain Brewing features “old-world styles with a modern twist,” like their Monarch IPA, with citra and Idaho gem hops. The food menu from their in-house chef includes options for vegetarians, meat-eaters and kids. With a focus on sustainability, the brewery’s electricity is also 100-percent powered by wind, and at least one beer is carbon neutral. 6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton, highgrainbrewing.com.

FIBONACCI BREWING

Fibonacci is a nanobrewery and urban farm with a focus on science, math and nature and brewing non-traditional and hybrid beer styles. They frequently grow their own ingredients, forage them or source them from local farms; they even host their own farmers market. Fibonacci also makes wine, with varieties on tap and in bottles. 1445 Compton Road, Mount Healthy, fibbrew.com.

FIFTY WEST BREWING COMPANY

HUMBLE MONK BREWING CO.

Located in a historic home, this craft brewery and taproom doubles as a restaurant with a focus on beer pairings. Find their signature orange VW bus, Penny, parked out front. Across the street, Fifty West Production Works is home to additional fermenters to produce thousands more barrels of Fifty West beer each year. The spot also has sand volleyball courts and is a hub for Fifty West’s canoe and kayak rentals. (Fifty West also has its own cyclery and bike rental just down the street off the Little Miami Scenic Trail.) 7668 Wooster Pike, 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com.

FIGLEAF BREWING COMPANY

Thousands of years ago, the Buddha achieved Nirvana under the Bodhi Tree, a large and sacred fig. But FigLeaf Brewing Co. seeks a different kind of enlightenment: one in the world of craft beer. To the brewery’s founders, the fig leaf is a symbol of trying uncommon techniques and diverse traditions. The brewery was recently acquired by March First and will undergo some taproom expansions. 3387 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Middletown, figleafbrewing.com.

FRETBOARD BREWING CO.

Fretboard Brewing Company seeks the perfect marriage of music and beer by providing creation spaces for local musicians to rattle off riffs while grabbing brews at the taproom. What could have simply been a traditional German-bier-inspired brewery was electrified into an incredibly active live music venue with a pro-grade sound system. Fretboard’s main stage hosts live performances nearly every night, putting an emphasis on the sort of rootsy Blues tunes and Americana that are nearly synonymous with microbrewed beverages. 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash, fretboardbrewing.com.

GRAINWORKS BREWING CO.

This straightforward taproom sits you right next to the production facility so you can ponder exactly how many pints are in one of those gigantic tanks as you sip an undetermined fraction of its total volume. 7790 Service Center Drive, Suite B, West Chester, grainworks.beer.

HIGHGRAIN BREWING CO.

Located in the former Silverton

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Specializing in Belgian-style beers, the Northside taproom — connected to the Bertke Electrical Services & Testing building — pours a mix of traditional Old World recipes with a healthy dose of experimentation. 1641 Blue Rock St., Northside, humblemonkbrewing.com.

KARRIKIN SPIRITS CO.

Karrikin combines a distillery, brewery, bar and restaurant in a gigantic former warehouse in Fairfax. They distill everything from vodka and gin to rum, brandy and agave spirit and produce their own “sparkling spirit,” a sort of take on a hard seltzer. At the restaurant, sample one of the beers on tap: a Czech-style pilsner, citra IPA, El Dorado IPA or rotating draft. They also make their own craft sodas. 3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax, karrikinspirits.com.

LISTERMANN BREWING COMPANY

Handcrafted ales, a growler station and contagious enthusiasm for home brewing characterize this owneroperated brewing company. Listermann also offers frequent brewing classes, home-brewing supplies and winemaking ingredients and equipment, in addition to cult favorite beers. The in-house Renegade Grille makes awesome wings. 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, listermannbrewing.com.

LITTLE MIAMI BREWING COMPANY

Started by two brothers-in-law and a brewmaster friend, Milford’s Little Miami Brewing Company sits on the banks of its namesake river, pouring its earthy beers alongside a selection of brickoven pizzas. The small-batch brewery offers a range of taps, from classics to experimentals and seasonals made with real fruit, like their Blackbird Fly with blackberry puree. Claim an Adirondack chair around the fire pit for some excellent river views. 208 Mill St., Milford, littlemiamibrewing.com.

LOCOBA BY PLATFORM

The Cleveland-based Platform Beer Co.’s tasting room and coffee concept on Main Street serves brews, beans and bites. As the first Platform location not styled as a brewery, LOCOBA (which stands for “local coffee barrels”) serves café-style foods, Platform brews on tap and in cans and cocktails. It also features a full-service coffee and espresso bar with Ohio-roasted beans. 1201 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/locobaplatform.

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HigGrain Brewing Co. | PHOTO: EMILY PALM

MADTREE BREWING CO.

Founded in 2013, MadTree’s taproom features a giant indoor and outdoor space. The main attraction is the big-ass beer garden, with 32 MadTreeexclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick façade leftover from the building’s factory days, where there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking, cornholeplaying, dog-loving humans that hang at the brewery on the regular. MadTree also donates 1 percent of sales to nonprofits that work toward environmental sustainabilty. 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, madtreebrewing.com.

MARCH FIRST BREWING

With a taproom that opens directly to the brewery, guests get a front-row seat to daily operations and brewers are always ready to interact and answer questions. Though March First thrives on classic brews, like the popular craft lager or Denali IPA, it still finds room for experimentation in its taps. Turning three in March, the brewery also crafts ciders and hard seltzer and distills a line of whiskey, vodka and rum. The taproom also serves pizza. 7885 E. Kemper Road, Sycamore Township, marchfirstbrewing.com.

MT. CARMEL BREWING COMPANY

Founders Mike and Kathleen Dewey started brewing out of their 1920s farmhouse storm cellar in 2005. As the oldest craft microbrewery in the area, they went from a two-vessel system to an 80 barrel facility. The public house features 20 taps, wine by the glass, craft beer cocktails and bourbon, plus trivia nights, Thursday dinners and live music on Fridays. 4362 Mount CarmelTobasco Road, Mount Carmel, mtcarmelbrewingcompany.com.

MUNICIPAL BREW WORKS

You’ll enter Municipal Brew Works through the garage door of a municipal building in Hamilton. Bring your friends,

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your dog (follow @dogsofmbw) or your whole family; this brewery has a place for everyone. It also has a brew for everyone. Play some cornhole or hang on the patio with your favorite food trucks. 20 High St., Hamilton, municipalbrewworks.com.

NARROW PATH BREWING CO.

Located in downtown Loveland, Narrow Path is a beer garden meets bike trail. Bike or skate down the Loveland Bike Trail to have a seat at picnic tables in the yard. It’s a location that fosters a sense of community. The brewery also takes pride in supporting nonprofits — it wants to make the world a better place; a portion of sales are shared with charities. 106 Karl Brown Way, Loveland, narrowpathbrewing.com.

NINE GIANT BREWING

A brewery and snackery (people really like their burgers) in the heart of Pleasant Ridge, Nine Giant is the stuff of legends. There are no flagship beers at Nine Giant — its 10 taps are subject to endless experimentation. You’ll find that general styles remain, but each batch offers an opportunity to swap out flavors and ingredients. 6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, ninegiant.com.

RHINEGEIST

This large brewery and event space in historic Over-the-Rhine (housed in an old Moerlein bottling plant) produces hoppy and sessionable ales and Cidergeist, its line of crushable ciders. The seasonal deck is an excellent addition to the city’s rooftop bar scene. Climb on up for views of downtown, Mount Adams and the Elm Street streetcar line. 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinegeist.com.

RIVERTOWN BREWERY AND BARREL HOUSE

Part brewery, part lab experiment, Rivertown produces high-quality beers

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Cincinnati Hard Seltzers and Sparkling Spirits

FI V E LO CAL S P OT S W H E RE YO U CA N S A M P LE T H I S TRE N D YO U R S E LF BY SETH ROBINSON AND MAIJA ZUMMO

Starting several years ago, everyone from millennials to boomers started consuming massive amounts of LaCroix. And it wasn’t long before adult beverage brands jumped on that fizzy cultural zeitgeist, creating their own spiked sparkling water trend and riding it all the way to the slim-canned bank. According to a 2019 VOX article, sales of hard seltzer could be worth as much as $2.5 billion by 2021.

Rolling Mill Brewing Company | PHOTO: KAITLYN HANDEL Braxton’s Vive and Karrikin’s Sparkling Spirit | PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

KarriKin spirits co.

A big name in the hard seltzer game is White Claw, the gluten-free, 100 calorie, low-carb, easy drinker that is, in fact, gender neutral and only 5 percent alcohol by volume. And while sparkling alcoholic beverages have been around for a while (think Zima), the hard seltzers of today cater toward those looking to lead a health-conscious, “guilt-free” lifestyle. So with the rising national popularity of spiked seltzer, it only makes sense that local breweries would follow suit, offering their own version for those interested in lower-calorie drinking and fruity flavors.

March First Brewing

March First got into the seltzer game in November 2018 when they introduced their hard seltzer as a test batch. “No other local brewery was making one at the time and our customers were asking for it,” says Josh Engel, marketing manager for March First. “We get a lot of people in our taproom that aren’t beer drinkers looking for our ciders or spirits. The next step to take was seltzer.” The 110 calorie, gluten-free, 5 percent ABV drink is currently available on tap at March First and various restaurants. But the beverage is being relaunched and rebranded in early March as Astra, a tribute to Ohio’s history of space flight pioneers. The new cans will feature images of space and first come in Bomb Pop and Saturn Peach flavors. 7885 E. Kemper Road, Sycamore Township, marchfirstbrewing.com.

rivertown Brewery

Rivertown debuted its Lumin spiked sparkling mineral water last summer. “We wanted to focus on the taste and profile of the water being used while hitting all the expectations that consumers have come to love about the Hard Water category: low calorie/carbs/sugar/glutenfree,” said Jason Roeper, co-owner of Rivertown, during the launch. Made with water from the Great Miami aquifer, cane sugar, yeast and natural fruit essence, Lumin clocks in at 5.5 percent ABV, 100(ish) calories and has less than 2 grams of carbs. It’s available on tap at Rivertown. 6550 Hamilton Lebanon Road, Monroe, rivertownbrewery.com.

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Karrikin, a restaurant and craft distillery, conceptualized its “Sparkling Spirit” when co-founder Jeff Hunt noticed non-beer drinkers were complaining about the sugary content of popular non-beer options. Launched in April 2019, the carbonated and canned drinks are made with a base of Karrikin’s house-distilled alcohol and come in five flavors: Keylime, Punch, Hoptonic, Apple and Blueberry. For example, Hoptonic is made with Emerge gin and tonic water. At 4.75 percent ABV (except Apple, which is 6 percent) and calories as low as 113, Hunt says the gluten-free drinks offer “real spirits, real fruit (and) truly craft blended flavors.” Sparkling Spirit is available at the restaurant or in cans at distributors including Kroger, Jungle Jim’s and The Party Source. 3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax, karrikinspirits.com.

Braxton Brewing co.

Braxton’s take on hard seltzer, Vive, hit Cincinnati shelves in March 2019 after a year of product development. At 100 calories, 5 percent ABV and 2 grams of carbs, Vive comes in eight different flavors — including Grapefruit, Mango, Dragonfruit and Blood Orange — and is packaged exclusively in slim 12-ounce cans. In terms of flavor? Mitch Barnhill, Braxton’s head of marketing, describes Vive as a “crisp, refreshing spiked sparkling water with real fruit taste in every can.” 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.

FiFty west

Fifty West debuted their take on the seltzer craze after the New Year. Quencher is an “activated ale” and not a seltzer, but it does embrace the same health trend and fruit taste. Available in cans, the 100-calorie brew has “a bone-dry finish and a bright watermelon flavor,” says Chris Hughes, visual content and social media manager for Fifty West. The 4.1 percent ABV drink was “crafted specifically for people pursuing a balanced and active lifestyle.” It has no added sugars but it does have added electrolytes. Quencher is available on tap at Fifty West and in cans at Kroger stores. 7668, 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com.

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— both those with a traditional vibe and those that focus on spontaneous fermentation and fun flavors. The Monroe Barrel House offers 30 taps at the bar, 24 taps on the patio, guest brews, cocktails, wine and beer-infused, slowsmoked hickory barbecue, plus tours and free all-day-play on vintage arcade consoles. 6550 Hamilton Lebanon Road, Monroe, rivertownbrewery.com.

ROCK BOTTOM RESTAURANT & BREWERY

A restaurant and brew pub that brews its own beer in the heart of downtown, right on Fountain Square. Rock Bottom offers more than 10 home-brewed styles and a lengthy food menu. 10 Fountain Square, Downtown, rockbottom.com.

ROLLING MILL BREWING COMPANY

Located in downtown Middletown, this brewery serves nothing but gluten-free items from the snacks to the beer taps making it safe from cross-contamination for those with celiac disease. Beers are made with base water from the Great Miami aquifer, hops, gluten-free malt and yeast. 916 First Ave., Middletown, rollingmillbc.com.

SAMUEL ADAMS CINCINNATI TAPROOM

Located across from the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery at the Film Center apartments adjacent to Findlay Market, the taproom, which features indoor and outdoor space, offers an array of unique beers brewed both on-site and at the Cincinnati brewery. These include fan favorites like the Cincinnati-inspired lager 513, Boston Lager and Summer Ale, and options made specifically for the taproom. 1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook. com/samadamscincy.

SONDER BREWING

Sonder Brewing built its brewery, taproom and beer garden on what was a

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vacant lot consisting of a 40-foot mound of dirt and a fire hydrant a few miles away from Kings Island. Sonder pours core and seasonal beers, plus boozy and barrel-aged options, in addition to wine and beer cocktails. The taproom also serves food from an outpost of the Creole-flavored BrewRiver. 8584 Duke Blvd., Mason, sonderbrewing.com.

SONS OF TOIL BREWING

Sons of Toil Brewing got its name from a passage in the History of Brown County honoring farmers, “the sons of toil,” who originally plotted Brown County and Green Township. Today, the brewery aims to keep that hard-working spirit alive by applying it to their in-house craft beers. Sons of Toil tries to source all of its ingredients locally and gives its wasted grain to local farmers as free feed. Beers run the gamut from a 9.2 percent ABV chocolate raspberry imperial stout to a light German Kolsch. 14090 Klein Road, Mount Orab, sonsoftoilbrewing.com.

STREETSIDE BREWERY

From their taproom/brewery along Eastern Avenue in Columbia Tusculum, Streetside Brewery blends craft and community with wittily named beers. There’s The Wurst sausage amber, the I Drink Your Milkshake! strawberry/ blueberry milkshake IPA and the P.U.C. It pineapple upside down cake Berliner, among other sweet and unique options. The taproom frequently hosts food trucks and programmed events. 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum, streetsidebrewery.com.

SWINE CITY BREWING

Helmed by owners Dan and Debby Ebben, Swine City’s 5,000-square-foot open layout and acre-and-a-half of land are a family-friendly community space. The brewery frequently plays with sippable styles, so taproom selections vary from IPAs and stouts to sours and cream ales. 4614 Industry Drive, Fairfield, swinecitybrewing.com.

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TAFT’S ALE HOUSE

Located inside a former church, the building is an ode to Cincinnatian and former president William Howard Taft. The multi-floor brewpub maintains some of the sanctuary’s charm (like the bell tower) and serves a menu focused on tri-tip beef, complemented by creative brews, like the popular Nellie’s Keylime Caribbean Ale and Maverick chocolate Porter. 1429 Race St., Overthe-Rhine, taftsalehouse.com.

TAFT’S BREWPOURIUM

The Brewpourium is an extension of Over-the-Rhine’s Taft’s Ale House, fitted with all of Taft’s top beers, New Havenstyle “apizza” and enough televisions to satisfy all of Cincinnati’s sports fans. 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, taftsalehouse.com.

URBAN ARTIFACT

This brewery, taproom and music venue, located in a historic church, crafts beers with a focus on locally caught wild yeast and bacteria and sour, tart brews. The brewery hosts events and live music basically nightly, including trivia, burlesque shows, stand-up sets and both local and traveling bands in genres ranging from Hip Hop to Experimental music. Its in-house indie radio station, Radio Artifact, features local music, local podcasts and local shows airing on WVXU’s HD2. 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, artifactbeer.com.

WEST SIDE BREWING

This community brewery and taproom in Westwood offers more than 20 traditional beers, each boasting a straightforward name so drinkers know exactly what to expect. There’s the Amber Ale, Hefeweizen, Gose and plenty more, including cider, wine, soda. The family-friendly spot offers live music, food trucks, trivia, dog-friendly nights CI N CY ’ S

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on Wednesdays and a ton of TVs and games. 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood, westsidebrewing.com.

WIEDEMANN’S FINE BEER

Cincinnatians who are at least twice the legal drinking age may remember the omnipresence of Wiedemann Bohemian Special Brew cans at every family gathering back in the day. Well, “back in the day” is back, so to speak, as Wiedemann has reopened under new owners with a new recipe book. Betsy and Jon Newberry are responsible for reviving the brand and have converted a former funeral home into one of Cincinnati’s most charming breweries/taprooms. 4811 Vine St., Saint Bernard, wiedemannsfinebeer. com.

WOODBURN BREWERY

This East Walnut Hills brewery offers a plethora of creative beers, from fruity ales made with produce grown at Krohn Conservatory to the Han Solo coffee-infused blonde ale and even old fashioned rootbeer on tap. Dogs are welcome to chill inside the taproom or outside on the renovated patio at Woodburn, where they will receive many pets. 2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, facebook.com/ thewoodburnbrewery.

WOODEN CASK BREWING CO.

Formerly the Flamingo and Jockey Club, the building’s history is relived through its taproom: The bar is hand-crafted from the building’s own reclaimed wood. Helmed by Karen Schlitz and her husband, Randy, Wooden Cask’s menu includes 18 crafts on tap, along with featured smallbatch brews, seasonal barrel-aged selections, a cider and even wine. The in-house Drunken Hog BBQ smokes all their meat out back and offers a menu of sandwiches, ribs and sides. 629 York St., Newport, woodencask.com.

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•TWO BARS AND 42 TAPS •LAGERS, IPAS, STOUTS, PALE ALES, FRUIT TARTS, AND MORE - ALL BREWED ON SITE •WINE AND SPIRITS •FULL- SERVICE KITCHEN •LIVE MUSIC ON STAGE EVERY WEEKEND

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Watch for the grand reopening of our deck and beer garden as soon as the weather permits. Family friendly and pet friendly!

Full Color Logo (Primary)

One Color Logo (Primary)

Two Spot Color PMS 129C PMS Black 4C

PMS Black 4C OR100% Black

One Color Logo - Black

One Color Logo - Gold

PMS Black 4C OR100% Black

PMS 129C

FREE LIVE MUSIC AT WIEDEMANN’S Feb. 21: Everything’s Jake 7:30pm. Classic and country/folk rock and R&B.

Feb. 22: Lagniappe 7:30pm. World-class New Orleans Jazz, Cajun-Creole-and-Gypsy Swing. One Color Logo - Green

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Feb. 28: The Cousin Kissers 8pm. Classic country favorites

Feb. 29: Acoustic ZaaZoo 7:30pm. Classic Full Color Logo 2

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rock favorites with a Thom Stevenson twist.

March 6: Maurice Mattei and the Tempers 8pm. A folk-rock original. March 7: The Legendary Warsaw Falcons 6:30pm. David Rhodes Brown’s 70th Birthday Bash. Don’t miss this show! It’s being recorded for an upcoming CD release: ”The Warsaw Falcons Live at Wiedemann’s”. Free with minimum bar tab.

4811 Vine St., St. Bernard, OH 45217 | 513-482-6970 www.wiedemannsfinebeer.com

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TO DO

Bloom & Grow at the Krohn Conservatory P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY C I N C I N N AT I PA R K S

WEDNESDAY 19

ONSTAGE: Multicultural, multidisci-

plinary performance collective Universes creates a portrait of America in americUS at the Playhouse in the Park. See review on page 37. ART: The Taft’s N.C. Wyeth: New

Perspectives examines the work of the illustrator and artist who inspired the minds behind Star Wars and Game of Thrones. See review on page 33. ATTRACTION: Bloom & Grow at the

Krohn Conservatory If the dull gray of winter is getting you down, you don’t have to wait until April to enjoy lush, green landscapes. Krohn Conservatory is hosting its Bloom & Grow floral show, an exhibit dedicated to the bright colors of the born-again flowers that bloom in springtime. Vibrantly colored and kid-friendly, this exhibit features tulips and daffodils, a nature-lined “hiking” path, a reading nook and activities to challenge your crafting skills while getting away from the cold a little early. Through March 8. $7 adults; $5 ages 5-17; free children 4 and under. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiparks.com. — SETH ROBINSON ART: Genius of Liberty: The Long

Struggle for Women’s Equality at the Main Branch of the Public Library The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote. And this centennial is being celebrated at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Main Branch via the

exhibit, Genius of Liberty: The Long Struggle for Women’s Equality. The show, which takes its name from an 1850s feminist publication by Cincinnati advocate Elizabeth Aldrich, showcases facts and ephemera ranging from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the adoption of the 19th Amendment. “Few copies of (Genius of Liberty) have survived to the present day but you can see some issues in the exhibit,” says Katherine Durack, an independent scholar and former Miami University faculty member, in a release. Durack, who also hosts the podcast Genius of Liberty, curated the exhibit with reference librarians Christopher Smith and Diane Mallstrom. In addition to feminist facts and figures, there are also fun displays about local historical suffragettes like Trixie Friganza, who raised money and advocated for the cause and “inspired the song ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” as well as Laura Carter Pruden, “mother of the Magic 8 Ball inventor” and member of Cincinnati’s Harriet Taylor Upton Club. Through April 26. Free admission. Main Library, 800 Vine St., Downtown, cincinnatilibrary.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

THURSDAY 20

MUSIC: Fuzzed-out Brooklyn quartet Stuyedeyed plays MOTR Pub. See interview on page 45.

FRIDAY 21

MUSIC: Explosive guitar/drums duo Left Lane Cruiser play the Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 48.

EVENT: The Art of Food The Carnegie in Covington is hosting the 14th-annual Art of Food celebration on Feb. 21. And the theme? “Family style.” This one-of-a-kind culinary fête combines food, fun and art for an evening of culture and cuisine. This year, six top local chefs are partnering to prepare a unique and “curated” fivecourse sit-down dinner. Participating chefs include Scotty Berens of Dead Low Brewery, Doug Faulkner of Dojo Gelato, Tony Ferrari of Fausto, Steve Waddell of Jeff Thomas Catering and Stephen Williams and Mitch Arens of Y’all Hospitality. Coffee Emporium, Sixteen Bricks bakery and wine vendor Cutting Edge Selections are also participating. In addition to the meal, guests will be treated to interactive creative works like live painting and dance by more than a dozen visual and performing artists. 6 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. $125; $240 per couple. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St., Covington, thecarnegie.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO COMEDY: Ricky Velez Comedian Ricky Velez has had a chance to travel all over the world. In Europe, though, he ran into a strange phenomenon. “Someone tried to rob me the second day,” he says. “But they don’t do it like they do in America. No gun, no knife, no ‘give me your shit.’ Instead they have gypsies and they carry fake babies. They wait until you’re drunk outside of museum and throw a fake baby at you and try and steal your backpack.” Velez didn’t fall for it, though.

“I’m a Puerto Rican from Queens, New York. I’m not catching any baby that’s not mine.” Velez also discusses anxiety in his act. “There’s no anxiety in the ’hood,” he says. “There’s no gangbanger in the ’hood saying, ‘I can’t do that drive-by, there’s too many dudes in the car. It feels like the walls are caving in.’ ” 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21; 7 and 10 p.m. Feb. 22; 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. $15-$45. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com. — P.F. WILSON ART: Vhils Opening at the CAC

Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, is best known for his pioneering bas-relief carving technique, in which he literally scratches the surface of urban environments by carving large-scale portraits of everyday people directly into outdoor walls. He does so through industrial means — drilling, controlled explosions, ripping away debris, etc. Most recently, you may have noticed his portrait of John Mercer Langston in Over-theRhine, a mural he created as part of 2019’s BLINK. Now Cincinnatians can see the artist’s work rendered on gallery walls at the Contemporary Arts Center. Titled Haze, the exhibition marks Vhils’ first large-scale solo show in a United States art institution. It seeks to create a “subtle dialogue” with the museum’s iconic architecture, as designed by the late Zaha Hadid. Sprawling through two floors, most of the exhibited works are site-specific: “carved wooden doors, sculptural CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

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apparel. Prices range from high-end to impulse buy, making it a vintage modern show for both avid collectors in search of iconic pieces and curious shoppers alike. This year’s special exhibit is Modernist Mud - Ohio Formed and Fired, featuring art and studio pottery from the likes of Rookwood, Roseville, Cowan and other Ohio makers. If you want to get a sneak peek, opt for the Java Preview on Saturday. It starts at 9 a.m. and includes an “exclusive two-hour shopping period, a complimentary coffee/juice bar, and a full weekend pass.” 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23; Java Preview 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. $8 two-day admission; free 18 and under; $25 advance Java Preview; $35 preview door. Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, 20thcenturycincinnati.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

SATURDAY 22

EVENT: Bark Bash at the Cincinnati Museum Center The Cincinnati Museum Center is celebrating canine companions with a Bark Bash, using the current OMNIMAX film Superpower Dogs as a starting point. During the event, the museum rotunda will feature a treat station from local nonprofit Brewhaus Bakery & Dog Bones, service dogs from Circle Tail and 4 Paws for Ability, info from the Matt Haverkamp Foundation and the Blue Line K9 Protect agencies, cookie decorating stations for humans, expert panels about the value of support animals and selfie opportunities with Red Dog Pet Resort’s mascot. Screenings of Superpower Dogs, which is narrated by Chris Evans and follows six brave dogs on extraordinary journeys, will take place hourly. Get details about each organization’s mission at cincymuseum.org. Certified service animals are allowed at the event, but family pets are not. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. Events in the rotunda are free; OMNIMAX tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for children. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, cincymuseum.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO P H O T O : C H R I S E VA N S / / R E E D S M O O T A S C F O R C O S M I C P I C T U R E S

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dioramas, large-scale and smallscale hand-carved billboard pieces, immersive video installations and carved plasterboard compositions.” Opening reception 8-11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. On display through July 6. Free. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter. org. — MACKENZIE MANLEY EVENT: Cincinnati Cyclones Wizards

Weekend Calling all witches, wizards and muggles: The Cincinnati Cyclones are hosting a special themed Wizards Weekend. Grab your robes and your wands and head down to the Heritage Bank Center to — unofficially — celebrate the world of Harry Potter. Be one of the first 3,000 fans to apparate to the stadium to receive a special Twister wand on Friday and Puckchop wand on Saturday. The Wizards Weekend Family 4-Pack includes four tickets to the game, four themed Cyclones scarves, and four Chick-fil-A sandwiches. You

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can also grab a famed butterbeer from the concession stand to imbibe while watching the game. $18-$30; $77 family pack. 7:30 p.m. puck drop Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, cycloneshockey.com. — SETH ROBINSON

SATURDAY 22

MUSIC: Kyle Daniel brings modern day Americana to the Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 48. EVENT: Cincinnati Home + Garden Show Do you live inside of a home, apartment, other structure or even a garden? Are you looking for ideas on how to decorate or remodel any of those said spaces? Head to the 51st annual Cincinnati Home + Garden Show, “a vibrant marketplace where you can shop for home-related products and services, experience stunning displays to help inspire your next home project, connect with industry experts,

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and enjoy informative presentations from renowned local and international home professionals.” Basically, you can wander and look at booths filled with displays, goods and info. There’s even a White Claw lounge where you can drink hard seltzer and think about landscape design. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 1. $14 adults; free ages 12 and under. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincinnatihomeandgardenshow.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: 20th Century Cincinnati 20th Century Cincinnati is back and taking over the Sharonville Convention Center for a weekend of “modernist art, furnishings, fashion and architecture.” Take a step back into the Atomic Age and stroll aisle after aisle of goods ranging from paintings, pottery and posters to ephemera, jewelry and

EVENT: MainStrasse Mardi Gras Parade Covington’s MainStrasse is celebrating Mardi Gras with a family-friendly parade and party. In classic carnival style, there will be fat heads — actual large, papier-mâché heads or paper masks that people wear over their own faces or carry during the parade — music, dancing and plenty of beads. Make your way from the kick-off point at Ninth and Main streets for an evening of indulging at restaurants and bars before the start of Lent. There will be drink specials throughout MainStrasse Village. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. Free admission. MainStrasse Village, Covington, facebook.com/mainstrassevillage. — MAIJA ZUMMO

SUNDAY 23

MUSIC: Taylor Shannon Memorial Concert Since his untimely passing in late January, Cincinnati Rock/Country singer/ songwriter/guitarist Taylor Shannon’s Facebook page has turned into a cyber memorial, with friends and fans sharing messages about Shannon — who was just 30 at the time of his death — on a daily basis. The beloved musician, who showcased his Country music skills on his solo albums before exploring a more Rock sound with his band Smoke Parade, will be celebrated by his musical peers in the most fitting way possible: with a concert. The Southgate House Revival is hosting the memorial show, which is scheduled to run eight hours and is dubbed on the event poster as a “Celebration of Life.” Donations and money raised via raffles and “split the pots” will go to help Shannon’s wife, Maddie. Local musical acts slated to appear include the Dallas Moore Band, Billie Gant, Mason James, Gangbox, Elton Clifton, Scott Luck Band, Mike Reeder and many more. Those who can’t be at the concert but would still like to help can make donations to the “Taylor Shannon Memorial Fund” at any U.S. Bank branch in the area. The show should be an emotional ride and serve as a reminder of how Shannon’s spirit will live on through his

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SATURDAY 22

FILM: CatVideoFest Described as a 70-minute “compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos and, of course, classic internet powerhouses,” CatVideoFest will have screenings across the country, including three dates at the Esquire Theatre. For every ticket purchased, 10 percent of sales will be donated to The Scratching Post in Silverton. The Scratching Post has operated since 1990 with the mission of promoting the welfare of cats and kittens in the Cincinnati area. Along with housing around 100 cats, the nonprofit spays and neuters the animals, vaccinates them, tests them for feline leukemia and FIV, and places them for adoption. 7 p.m. Feb. 22; 2 p.m. Feb. 23; 7 p.m. Feb. 25. $10. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com. — MACKENZIE MANLEY

MUSIC: Lindsay Beaver

Compared to most instruments, a drummer who also handles lead vocals is very rare. A drummer with a voice that roars and soars with cage-rattling soulfulness is even harder to find but that’s just what the powerful, multitalented Lindsay Beaver brings to the table. Beaver’s 2018 debut for the legendary Blues label Alligator Records is a rollicking showcase for not only her dazzling drumming and vocal skills, but also her dynamic songwriting, which is steeped in the sounds of early Rock & Roll, vintage R&B and rowdy roadhouse Blues, all delivered with a Punk Rock energy. A native of Canada currently living in and working out of Austin, Texas, Beaver was classicallytrained as a singer and Jazz-trained on the drums, but the passion evident in her music is something that can’t be taught. The prime influences Beaver cites range from Billie Holiday and Little

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music and the memory of his kindness and good will. Shannon himself wrote in his final Instagram post, “Rock n Roll will never.” Noon Sunday, Feb. 23. Free (donations encouraged). Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com. — MIKE BREEN

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Richard to The Ramones and Queens of the Stone Age, which is a great approximation of what new listeners have in store when they tune in to her powerhouse Rock & Soul. 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. Free. Fretboard Brewing, 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash, fretboardbrewing.com. — MIKE BREEN EVENT: Snow Queens Drag Brunch Cincinnati’s iciest drag queens will be werking their way through the Metropole dining room during this Snow Queens brunch. Expect an over-the-top performance with your over-easy eggs as multiple ladies sashay the morning away while lip syncing to favorite hits. Tickets include a drag show, a welcome mimosa and family-style brunch prepared by chef David Kelsey. Bring some dollar bills. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. $45 per person. RSVP required. Metropole at 21c, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, facebook.com/ metropoleonwalnut. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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MONDAY 24

MUSIC: Grammy-nominated Rapper and Hip Hop artist Cam’ron plays Bogart’s. See Sound Advice on page 49. CONTINUES ON PAGE 30

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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DEATH OF A

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FRIDAY 28

EVENT: Bockfest Weekend If you’re unfamiliar with Cincinnati’s weirdest festival, you may be confused when the streets of downtown and Over-the-Rhine are overtaken by roaming goats, kegs on floats and a bunch of dudes and ladies dressed in lederhosen and dirndls for the 28th-annual Bockfest. The three days of protracted celebration are held to honor the coming of spring, bock beer and OTR’s brewing heritage. And the festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 when the annual parade, led by a goat pulling a keg of beer and the reigning Sausage Queen, steps off from Arnold’s Bar & Grill on E. Eighth Street downtown and winds its way to the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom (aka Bockfest Hall), where a ceremonial blessing of a keg launches a weekend of drinking. If you’re a real trooper, there’s a 5K at 10 a.m. on Saturday where the prize is more beer. Even more beer and unique historic brewery and cellar tours are offered throughout the weekend. And once night falls on Saturday, watch the prestigious (genderneutral) Sausage Queen and Beard Baron competition finals. Sunday winds down the festivities with kid-friendly games and a Little Links pageant, German music and dancing, a .05K fun run, goat yoga, a famed bloody mary bar and the final day of the BockFeast pig roast buffet. Get a full schedule of events and what needs a ticket at bockfest.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO P H O T O : PA I G E D E G L O W

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TUESDAY 25

EVENT: Mardi Gras in Mason This progressive Fat Tuesday dinner party lets the good times roll in Mason with three stops at three different breweries via the Cincy Brew Bus. The Mardi Gras celebration starts at Sonder Brewing, with Cajun/Creoleinspired eats paired with craft beer, before heading to 16 Lots for a Mad Monks pizza and three more beers. The final stop is The Common Beer Company for King Cake and more beer. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. $69.99; $40 non-drinker. Meet at 6 p.m. at Sonder Brewing, 8584 Duke Blvd., Mason, cincybrewbus.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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MUSIC: Star Parks brings lush, intricately constructed songs to MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice on page 50.

THURSDAY 27

MUSIC: Ace of Wands plays cavernous Indie Rock at Northside Tavern. See Sound Advice on page 50. MUSIC: The Soul Rebels Brass group The Soul Rebels represents the spirit of New Orleans’ rich musical tapestry as well as almost anyone in history. The argument that they are perhaps the best candidates to be 21st-century musical ambassadors for New Orleans can be found in the breadth of artists they’ve collaborated with over the years, spreading the fierce Funk, Jazz and Hip Hop of N’awlins across genres and generations — the eight-piece collective has worked with Katy Perry, Nas, G-Eazy, Portugal. The Man and Robin Thicke, to name just a few. They’ve even opened for The Rolling Stones and, later this year, they’ll be backing up the WuTang Clan at the New Orleans Jazz &

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

SATURDAY 29

MUSIC: Highly Likely Album Release Party Formed in 2018, Cincinnati Jamgrass/Americana outfit Highly Likely features some skilled area musicians who decided to combine their talents after knowing each other from their various other projects and bumping into each other on the local circuit. All five members — Char Bowling (guitar/vocals), Andy Tracy (drums/harmonica/vocals), Brian Bowling (banjo), Jeff Roades (bass/vocals) and Mark Miller (mandolin/vocals) — are songwriters, which, combined with their top-notch musicianship, makes them even more of a force to be reckoned with in the Roots scene. After releasing the single and video for “Never Left Here” last year, the band is now ready to unveil its anticipated debut album, Sunrise. For the release party, Highly Likely will be joined by special guests Hickory Robot, another local group with an open-minded approach to Bluegrass and Americana. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. Free. Dead Low Brewing, 5959

MAR. 25

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Heritage Festival. The Rebels’ latest album, last year’s Poetry in Motion, revels in that collaborative spirit more than any of their previous recorded work. Among others, the album’s guest list features many of N.O.’s finest, from Brandford Marsalis and Trombone Shorty to Big Freedia, Dee 1 and Mia X. Hell, even Emeril Lagasse pops up on a track, adding some spice to the already red-hot hometown anthem “Down for My City.” Local Funk/Afrobeat ensemble Ernie Johnson From Detroit opens. 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. $20; $25 day of show. Riverfront Live, 4343 Kellogg Ave., Columbia Tusculum, riverfrontlivecincy.com. — MIKE BREEN

FRIDAY 28

MUSIC: Psychedelic Progressive Rockers Nektar play the Ludlow Garage. See Sound Advice on page 51.

COMEDY: T.J. Miller T.J. Miller is probably as equally recognized for being an actor as he is a comedian. But some of those high-profile gigs (as well as his assorted public controversies) may have overshadowed his stage set. “People don’t have a good sense of humor when they’re in a position of authority,” he tells an audience before relating a story about taking his friends to a haunted house. “I wanted to pay by credit card, and (the cashier) said she needed to see some ID.” Miller couldn’t find it and asked her to make an exception. She refused. “Let me get this straight. You won’t let me pay for my friends to go into your

establishment because I’m trying to pay with credit card and don’t have ID? You’re afraid I stole a credit card and headed straight for the haunted house? I just found a credit card. Should we go buy electronics? No, I want to get scared with my friends for 25 minutes.” 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. $25$50. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone. com. — P.F. WILSON

APR. 20-26

SATURDAY 29

EVENT: Welcome Market Opening Camp Washington’s social enterprise The Welcome Project is growing. The initiative first came about in 2017 as a partnership between Wave Pool gallery and refugee aid organization Heartfelt Tidbits as a way to offer classes to local refugees, before it expanded into a storefront in the building next to Wave Pool. The immigrant-run space has since served as a place for those involved in The Welcome Project to sell their wares and host classes and events. On Feb. 29, a new Welcome Market will be unveiled, described in a press release as a “place to grab kitchen essentials as well as spices, breads and specialty items from all over the world.” 6-9 p.m. Feb. 29. Free. 2936 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, welcomecincinnati.org. — MACKENZIE MANLEY

MAY 29

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT CITYBEAT.COM

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ARTS & CULTURE

N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives at the Taft Museum of Art P H OTO : C O U RT E SY O F T H E TA F T M U S E U M O F A R T

World Building A career-spanning retrospective hones-in on the life and work of fantasy illustrator and fine art painter N.C. Wyeth BY M AC K E N Z I E M A N L E Y

espite his popularity, Newell Convers Wyeth — better known as N.C. Wyeth — was never quite satisfied with his work. Surveying the breadth of the artist’s inventory reveals much experimentation on his part, both in style and subject. That’s the view that the careerspanning retrospective N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives, which is currently on display at the Taft Museum of Art, reveals. His pieces, often vivid and fantastical, are narrative in nature; it makes sense, then, that he inspired the likes of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Peer close enough and one could glean a story from all 50 displayed paintings and illustrations. Having studied under Howard Pyle, the preeminent illustrator of his time, Wyeth first became known for his Western-themed illustrations. Just take a look at “Bucking Bronco,” which graced the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1903, the first of Wyeth’s illustrations to do so for a major magazine. It depicts a cowboy donning a flash of red sitting atop a wild, brown horse. You can feel the action: the cowboy’s hat is flinging toward the print’s right edge as his arm swings backward, ready to tame. Ironically, the piece was done before Wyeth ever made it out West. According to the work’s placard, he drew his knowledge

of equine anatomy from “hours of studying horses at polo grounds in Dedham, Massachusetts.” Considered one of the greatest painters of the early 20th century, Wyeth is also the patriarch of a prominent artistic family — he’s the father of Andrew Wyeth and the grandfather of Jamie Wyeth. Ann Glasscock, Taft assistant curator, says that though many may be familiar with the work of his progeny, they hope to convey N.C.’s range in New Perspectives. Co-organized by Pennsylvania’s Brandywine River Museum of Art and Maine’s Portland Museum of Art (PMA), New Perspectives — the first Wyeth retrospective in 50 years — was first exhibited at Brandywine from June 22 to Sept. 15, 2019 followed by a display at PMA, where it showed from Oct. 4 to Jan. 12. When Jamie Wyeth saw New Perspectives in Pennsylvania, Glasscock says he remarked that, because his grandfather dabbled in varying styles, from Cubism to Impressionism to Realism, that it looked like a group show. “There’s going to be something for everyone,” Glasscock says. “I don’t think you want to miss the chance to see this show. It is the last stop (on the tour) and all the paintings will be dispersed back into collections, many of them private; many of the pieces

came from the Wyeth Family Collection, so who knows when they’ll be on view again?” Wyeth is perhaps best defined for bringing his vision to childhood classics, having lent his illustration work to 112 books. Of those, 25 were published as part of Charles Scribner’s Sons Illustrated Classic series, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The oil painting was the first item I noticed upon entering the exhibition’s second section, which covered his work from 1911-1917 illustrating for books and magazines. “Treasure Island” feels yanked straight out of a storybook. A band of pirates armed with various weapons charge down an off-white sandy beach as seagulls seemingly retreat in the distance. Painted in monochrome, the pirates stand stark against a vibrant golden sky. The commissioned work allowed Wyeth enough revenue to build his own house and studio in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and garnered him more national recognition. He would continue to create illustrations for novels, but wasn’t content to stay in only one lane. In his own words: “I have come to one conclusion, and that is painting and illustration cannot be mixed — one cannot merge from one into the other… The viewpoints of the painter and the illustrator are so entirely different.” As cited in the exhibition’s third section “Painting the Pennsylvania Countryside,” this belief brought Wyeth to carve out time for painting while still continuing to accept commissions. Glasscock notes that while his fine paintings and illustrations honed in on disparate subjects — landscapes and portraits of people and places he held

dear versus worlds anchored in fiction — she thinks the work ties together. “I think the common thread is the fact that he’s telling a story with all of these works,” she says. “Visual storytelling is a big part of Wyeth’s life and career. Whether he’s telling somebody else’s story in his illustrations, or with his non-commissioned fine art painting, those all gave him a chance to tell the stories of the people and places that were important to him.” Reality and fantasy bleed together on the gallery’s navy walls; “Captain Nemo,” a 1918 illustration for Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island, is particularly striking. The famed captain’s eyes sink back into shadows yet stare directly outward. His pale skin coupled with wavy, white hair — both atop his head and in his beard — evokes an air of otherworldliness. Framed in gold patterns with nautical-esque swirls, that feeling becomes even more pronounced. Across the way is a portrait of Wyeth’s mother, painted four years after her death. Both homey and warm, yet spectral, Glasscock says it is one of her personal favorites in the collection because of Wyeth’s use of objects to tell a story. “It’s a painting of his mother standing in the kitchen at his boyhood home,” she says of the work. “He’s depicting all these objects that allude to comfort, so there’s a chair, a whistling tea kettle, she’s in the middle of baking. All of that just kind of tells you what it was like to grow up in the Wyeth home.” The show’s last section features paintings from 1925 up until Wyeth’s sudden death in 1945 by way of a car accident. Wielding dreamy imagery and bold coloring, this section features mostly

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FROM PAGE 33

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landscapes of Chadds Ford and Port Clyde, Maine, where he purchased a vacation home in 1920. From the folky aesthetic of “The Harbor at Herring Gut” to the muted modernist work “Ridge Church,” there’s much to see here. Before exiting, guests arrive at 1939’s “Island Funeral.” From a bird’s eye “Island Funeral” by N.C. Wyeth view, Wyeth crafted a P H O T O : B R A N DY W I N E M U S E U M O F A R T, G I F T O F E . I . D U visually stunning scene P O N T D E N E M O U R S A N D C O M PA N Y G I F T O F E . I . D U P O N T of people gathering D E N E M O U R S A N D C O M PA N Y I N H O N O R O F C O N S E R VA N C Y A N D M U S E U M O F A R T ’ S 5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y, 2 01 7 for the funeral of a patriarch of a historic permanent display at the currentlyMaine lobstering family. Appearing under-construction Lucas Museum more like the Carribean Sea, the of Narrative Art, which was founded harbor’s potent blue-green color came by none other than Star Wars creator out of an informal relationship with George Lucas. The director, alongside a chemist at the company DuPont, George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) which had recently developed what have credited Wyeth as having influGlasscock says were “fast and synthetic enced their own understandings of dyes.” Wyeth incorporated these into what an adventure story could look like. pigments for several of his paintings, In threading his commercial work allowing him to create intense coloring. as an illustrator with his fine art, New As the section’s description explains, Perspectives finally gives Wyeth the rechis aspirations to be seen as a fine ognition he deserved in his lifetime. painter as much as a beloved illustrator were never fully realized, though New Perspectives is on view at they would be through his son, Andrew, the Taft Museum of Art (316 Pike perhaps most famous for his painting St., Downtown) through May 3. The “Christina’s World.” Yet Wyeth’s influmuseum will host several events in ence still inspires modern mythmakconjunction with the show. Tickets/ ers; several of his works will be on more info: taftmuseum.org.

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CULTURE

Taiga Goods Does it One Shoe at a Time BY GA B R I E L L A M U L I SA N O

Regina Kazanjian of Taiga Goods was 3 years old when she made her first pair of shoes. She vividly recalls seeing an image on TV and then hiding in her family’s basement, tinkering away with paper for many hours before emerging proudly with a pair. “I kind of always knew that I wanted to be creating something with my hands,” she says as she sits in her studio surrounded by bits of leather, Vibram shoe soles, sewing machines, needles, thread and warehouse lighting. Before running her own studio and business, Kazanjian stumbled into the shoe-making world shortly after graduating from the Industrial Design program at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). After a brief stint visiting her hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, she returned to Cincinnati and worked for Smartfish, a local shoe company owned by fellow DAAP grad Alisha Budkie. Kazanjian walked into Regina Kazanjian, founder of Taiga Goods, making a pair of shoes Budkie’s store with the P H OTO : GA B R I E L L A M U L I SA N O hopes of learning more about the craft. After a few the concept of sustainability in fashion, the measurements are going to be years, she was ready to she has wrestled with finding a balance custom either way,” she says. launch her own business, one that had between ethical footwear and affordKazanjian’s client list has since her own ethos and story behind it. able prices that, budgets aside, allow grown through word of mouth. As In 2019, that officially came in the her to create a “good” product for a result, she’s moved to trying new form of Taiga Goods. Her studio, which clients. sustainability practices. Originally, she shares with other artisans, is on The focus on customizing each pair she used only upcycled leather in her the second floor of a warehouse in of shoes to an individual client’s needs designs and experimented with vegan Cincinnati’s West End. is what sets Taiga Goods apart. Kazaleathers. Her brand specializes in handcrafted njian has been able to create qual“It’s really hard to guarantee the shoes that are made one pair at a time. ity products for those who are often durability of (upcycled leather) because During the initial process, clients have overlooked in the world of high-end you don’t know all the details of where several one-on-one fittings with her, footwear. In particular, she holds a speit came from and you don’t know what after which she spends hours stitching cial place in her heart for athletes. part of the hide it came from,” she the leather, gluing the soles and It was in May of 2017, while says. “So, you don’t know if it’s going to molding the toe box into the perfect managing Smartfish, that she met Sarah stretch or how it’s going to respond to shape. Every step is crafted with care Lima, who would later give Kazanjian different conditions. Also, all the vegan and thoughtful attention to detail. her first taste of designing custom materials I’ve worked with so far are not “(Before) I would have said, ‘I’m going shoes that accommodated more biodegradable, and leather is.” to create highly sustainable, highly specified needs. Last year, Lima, who Only oil-tanned and vegetablefashionable, really boundary-pushing participates in roller derby — a sport tanned leathers are biodegradable, so stuff,’ ” Kazanjian says of her initial that comes with its fair share of nasty Kazanjian is moving to exclusively goals. “But then, because of who came foot injuries — asked for a pair of shoes using oil-tanned leather that’s raised in to me and who saw value in what I was that could also be used for trail running. the U.S. She currently purchases it from doing, I shifted (my focus) based on the Though a strange and difficult request, California-based company The Hide people who approached me, which I Kazanjian took on the challenge and House, which she admits isn’t perfect. think is my favorite part about the pracmade a pair for her twice, until she got (If specifically asked, she will use vegan tice of design. It’s really about creating them just right. leather.) something good for somebody else.” “The cool thing about custom “It’s interesting, you can actually track Even if it means she’s not maintainfootwear for normal use is that it’s not this big leap in human evolution when ing her aesthetic dreams, her end goal harder to make something for ‘weird we started using leather for footwear,” has always been making something feet’ than it is for ‘normal feet’ because she says while waiting for glue to dry that is useful. Though acquainted with

on the body of a boot she’s currently constructing. Ideally, she’d like to source leather more locally, but says it would be “so much more money” — a cost she would have to pass on to the customer. In terms of the next steps for Taiga Goods, Kazanjian imagines having a tier system in which customers would be able to select the level of quality based on their budget. They would still be getting custom-made shoes, but the materials would be tailored to their price range. If vegan leather, oil-tanned or locally raised leather is high on one’s list of priorities, Kazanjian could design a shoe and price it accordingly. From her early days crafting paper shoes to her current-day leather masterpieces, Kazanjian has created a custom-focused brand that’s entirely her own. “I am really just in the ‘doing it slowly’ mode,” she says, grinning as she sits down at her stitching machine, a desert boot in hand.

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Those interested in Taiga Goods shoes can place orders/book appointments through her website, taigagoods.com. Booking deposits start at $35. Follow her work on Instagram @taiga_goods.

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VISUAL ART presents

DESTINY OF DESIRE

By KAREN ZACARÍAS

FEB. 29 – MARCH 28, 2020 Burning passion and outrageous melodrama combine in this entertaining switched-at-birth comedy. “[A] terrifically entertaining theatrical roller-coaster… A zany, funny delight.” — L.A. Times

americUS By UNIVERSES

FEB. 1 – MARCH 8, 2020

WORLD PREMIERE!

Sponsored by ANDREA AND DR. EDWARD HERZIG

Buy early for the best seats!

CINCYPLAY.COM 513-421-3888 Season presented by SCHUELER GROUP and HEIDELBERG DISTRIBUTING CO. Season Sponsor of New Work: THE ROSENTHAL FAMILY FOUNDATION Visual by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith and Associates. Photos of Universes: Steven Sapp by Arthur Cohen; Mildred Ruiz-Sapp by Mildred Ruiz-Sapp; Gamal Abdel Chasten by Lawrence Turner; Asia Mark.

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R E V I E W S BY ST E V E K E M P L E

of an event, assigned a date that is too early at Bunk Spot Gallery Imagine an AI deep dreaming a rainbow catastrophe of cracked LCD screens and you’ll be in the ball park of Megan Bickel’s solo exhibition of an event, assigned a date that is too early at Bunk Spot Gallery. Abstract compositions are rendered Women Breaking Boundaries at the CAM in vivid colors across the P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F C I N C I N N AT I A R T M U S E U M surfaces of 12 paintings like algorithmic camouflage to confound facial recognition. visibility by dancing and playing instruThink Gerhard Richter meets Lisa Frank. ments. In a delicate monochrome wash, For all the abundant references to beams of light shine from her face and virtuality, the Louisville-based mulweave through knotty tree branches, tidisciplinary artist and Art Academy casting the revelers in a sublime glow. of Cincinnati alum’s paintings have I can think of no better metaphor for a commanding physical presence. what the CAM is doing with this project. Globs of paint, chromatic smears and Women Breaking Boundaries runs transparent washes interplay with through April 12 at the CAM (953 holographic patterns, resulting in light Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams). and color that changes as you move More info: cincinnatiartmuseum.org. from side to side. The slipperiness here between the physical and virtual invites Confinement at the questions regarding our relationship to Contemporary Arts Center images, which Bickel has written about “Can you hear anything?” someone in two accompanying texts. The ease asked me at the opening of Confineand lightness with which they pose ment: Politics of Space and Bodies at such allusions accounts partly for why the Contemporary Arts Center. We I’m drawn to them. But to engage with cupped our ears to a wall, having heard them as theory-objects would be to there were supposed to be performers miss the point. Rather, these paintings on the other side. We were listening to ask to be enjoyed on their own ineffable Géographie-Cincinnati, an imposing terms. I could look at them for hours. installation by choreographers Annie of an event, assigned a date that is too early runs through February at Bunk Spot Gallery (544 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine). More info: facebook.com/bunknews.

Universes performance ensemble fuses theatre, poetry, dance and music to create a compelling theatrical collage of contemporary America that will challenge, move and entertain you.

Exhibitions Highlight Gender, Explore Space

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Women Breaking Boundaries at the Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum’s current exhibition Women Breaking Boundaries commemorates the centennial of women’s suffrage by foregrounding works by women artists from its permanent collection. The curatorial project includes an exhibition proper as well as signage throughout the museum inviting us to reorient our experience through an intersectional lens of gender and representation. In the exhibition proper, wall text tells me 17.2 percent of works in the CAM permanent collection are by female artists — better than the 12.6 percent national average — and in 2019, 41 percent of new acquisitions were works by female-identifying artists. I was drawn in particular to “Amaterasu,” a 19th-century Japanese hanging scroll by Hōen (Taira) Yoshiteru. Here, the Shinto sun goddess is seen emerging radiant from a cave as hopeful figures attempt to lure her into full

Vigier and Franck Apertet, in which three dancers — along with more than half the gallery space — are enclosed behind high walls. A man to my left tapped his finger on the drywall. “Oh!” a woman around a corner exclaimed, “I think I heard something!” Winding my way down the narrowing hallway around its perimeter, I felt a mild surge of panic as the crowd bottlenecked beside a black and white photograph of Igor Stravinsky. Taken by Irving Penn in 1948, the composer is shown backed into a corner, cupping his ear to a wall as I had just done. Curator Valentine Umansky has filled this exhibition with such uncanny twists, revealing how the structures of our environment shape our behavior, and in doing so has somehow made the CAC’s abstruse geometry even more claustrophobic. This challenging — and rewarding — exhibition asks important questions about agency, and helps us see the literal and metaphorical structures around us. A two-day symposium on Feb. 29 and March 1 will delve into the many important questions posed here. Confinement: Politics of Space and Bodies runs through March 1 at the CAC (44 E. Sixth St., Downtown). More info: cincycac.org.

ONSTAGE

Playhouse Premieres Tumultuous ‘americUS’

START THE WEEKEND EARLY

R E V I E W BY R I C K P E N D E R

It’s that time of year when the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park goes out on a limb to present a new work. They currently have a humdinger on the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre stage, the world premiere of a script conceived and performed by Universes, a multicultural, multidisciplinary collective of artists and poets from New York City who have been producing intriguing, adventurous works of spoken word, music and movement since 1995.

americUS at the Playhouse in the Park P H OTO : M I K K I S C H A F F N E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

The Playhouse’s commission is americUS, a work described by director Joan Herrington as “an exploration of what it means to be in America at this time — what our joys are, what our challenges are, and how we find our way in the midst of some very crazy days. Everything Universes does has contemporary relevance, and this piece is no different.” The show opened in early February during a week encompassing the debacle of the Iowa caucuses, the contentious State of the Union address, the acquittal of the president in his impeachment trial in the Senate and more political, divisive fallouts resulting from all of these. Very crazy days, indeed. Although Universes’ subject matter is considerably more expansive. Four performers deliver a tumultuous, nonstop, 100-minute collage that ranges across the political spectrum. Gamal Chasten, Asia Mark, Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, all actors of color, come onstage in sprightly, exaggerated clown-like costumes to deliver a pulse-pounding opener designed to “expand your vision of what you see and what you can be.” They are outstanding vocal performers, and Chasten repeatedly provides rhythmic accompaniment in the form of beatbox, clapping or thumping on the platform floor to support their exaggerated movement and the powerful words they speak. Their carnival attire comes on and off as various segments are brought to life and themes are explored. A sobering essay on “How to Be Black” is full of warnings about self-preservation that are at first commonsensical but

gradually become more and more farfetched. In another segment, they sing an adapted version of “Home on the Range,” which turns that ballad’s optimistic lyrics into dire observations. Ruiz-Sapp, the co-founder of Universes with Steven Sapp, is a powerful storyteller and singer. We learn how her father made her tough enough to defend herself. Later she renders a heartfelt monologue about a mother coping with the notice of an active shooter at her children’s school. She extols the heroism of a student who lost his life, and she grapples with how his mother must feel. Mark underscores this mixedmessage tragedy with a repeated chorus: “I can’t be Superman/I just came here to learn.” Another segment focuses on immigrants. The green-tinted Statue of Liberty, who welcomes refugees “yearning to breathe free,” is repositioned as a “woman of color.” Lines from Emma Lazarus’ memorable poem about accepting “the homeless, tempest-tost” and lifting “my lamp beside the golden door” are woven into ironic observations about the current state of people seeking refuge in America. That story precedes Chasten’s monologue of a homeless veteran who is forced to relocate his temporary quarters once again to make way for yet another urban condo. There are lighter moments in americUS, although they are rendered with a sharp political edge. Mark sets forth a recipe for “im-PEACH-ment pie,” handing mixing bowls to the other three as she delineates ingredients — collusion, lies — that are all too familiar in light of recent political turmoil. The show has unbelievable momentum. The actors are constantly in motion from start to finish: even when one is delivering a monologue, the others are generally providing vocal support or sonic punctuation. For all of its pointing to challenges our nation faces, americUS concludes with the quartet at center stage asking if we’re up to the job of creating a better place. “Let’s begin,” Sapp says, as they jointly, gently blow out the lights. Parts of this production that are delivered bluntly and full of raw emotions rooted in injustice will be hard for some to watch, but by weaving together so many perspectives, the show is likely to inspire greater understanding. The world premiere of americUS is onstage at the Playhouse in the Park through March 8. More info/tickets: cincyplay.com.

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The Future of the Performing Arts LIVES HERE CCMONSTAGE Photo by Andrew Higley/ Production Sponsor UC Photographic Services

Photo by Mark Lyons

Journey through the galaxy with celestial compositions and images from NASA 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 2020 CORBETT AUDITORIUM

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FILM

‘The Assistant’ Seeks to Break Into the Boys Club R E V I E W BY T T ST E R N - E N Z I

The old adage about baseball being up with the minor annoyances of deala game for insiders is only half-right ing with the incessant calls from the because once the idea of the statistics wife of their boss. Such trials were fleetfalls away, the sport itself (to a certain ing and reserved for assistants like Jane. extent, like all sports) can invite in But if such assignments were all that casual admirers. Hollywood, though, Jane had to overcome, she would end now that’s a segregated industry with a up like those two unnamed associates; rigid code of secrecy separating those on the fast track for a corner office, high on the inside from the gawkers on the profile clients, several homes on both fringes. And heaven help anyone who coasts, and an anonymous (and faintly seeks to break through. annoying) family in the wings. Writer-director Kitty Green fashions a cautionary tale — The Assistant — that dares to illustrate the threat one’s soul is under when seeking to enter the industry. Her protagonist Jane (Julia Garner) is a recent college graduate who dreams of one day becoming a producer. Her youthful appearance, at the time we first catch a glimpse Julia Garner as Jane in The Assistant of her, is not exactly P H OTO : T Y J O H N S O N / B L E E C K E R ST R E E T innocent. She already has a bit of resolve, a hint of hardness in her eyes. The chance to work for a powerful Instead, Jane struggles with her executive has unleashed a hunger. conscience. As she cleans her boss’s We join her at the start of a typical office, she comes across an earring by day as she enters the office alone the couch. She remembers the faces of before sunrise and begins prepping. each and every increasingly younger This isn’t merely about the early bird woman who enters that chamber, how catching the worm. This bird is willing eager they were going in and how to create her own worms if she has to changed they emerged. She feels for and that requires hard work, but she them. In some ways, she’s happy she’s also realizes that she can’t let her effort not like them, but on some level, she show. Any hint of failure is verboten. wonders why she’s not. A slip, no matter how minor, requires When things come to a head during begging for forgiveness. Pride has been the course of this one particular day, swallowed long ago. Jane pulls on her coat and walks over Or has it? to the building next door for a meeting These issues lie at the heart of The with Wilcock (Matthew Macfadyen), a Assistant, though maybe it has nothing human resources manager. Jane knows to do with the heart at all. The story that reporting what she believes to be is raw and as nakedly observed as improper behavior could dramatically the assistant herself, who is always impact her efforts to move toward her watching and waiting, carefully overall goal, and she wants to do the calculating her actions and those of her right thing. co-workers, her superiors and anyone Garner holds the screen and our who wanders into the orbit of the sympathy throughout, despite the universe she barely inhabits. constant fraying of her psyche. It is I mentioned co-workers. Jane has heartbreaking because, when rendered two male assistants (Jon Orsini and onscreen, her life is like watching a Noah Robbins) with whom she shares dream slowly morph into a waking an office, and although neither of limbo. them is ever referenced by name, we The film shows us what Jane understand that their journey has ultimately decides, but far more been different. Speaking of privilege instructively, it presents the two male is a tricky notion, but it applies here assistants, even in quick strokes, as in all the ways it has become a social somehow more fully evolved people, catchphrase. who work in the same environment, There are moments, when Jane each day, but arrive later, playfully makes mistakes based on judgment interact with each other, and leave at a or circumstance, that one or both of reasonable enough time to grab dinner them teasingly offer assistance to her, or a drink, unencumbered by the same aid drawn from their bountiful pool of burdens as Jane. white male entitlement. Plainly, these Which begs the questions, is The two never had to fret, or arrive as early Assistant about an outsider who in the morning or stay as late into the becomes an insider and at what cost? night as Jane does. They never got hung (Rated R) (In theaters) Grade: B

The Turbulence of Family Love in ‘This Is Us’ R E V I E W BY JAC K E R N

Mandy Moore (left) and Sterling K. Brown in This Is Us P H O T O : R O N B AT Z D O R F F / N B C

At one point in television history, This Is Us would easily be the best drama. With the multiple, intersecting timelines and the perfectly complicated Pearson family — Jack, Rebecca and their three children, Kevin, Kate and Randall — shown in all stages of life, the NBC show could stand up against an ER or Picket Fences. But today, the competition is fierce, and a familyoriented sob-fest like This Is Us is child’s play when you’re waiting for the longawaited third season of Westworld (just one month away!). Sure, This Is Us has gotten its share of awards and attention from critics — particularly for its acting. Sterling K. Brown, who plays adult Randall, is phenomenal season after season, and the series’ casting is superb. But viewers ask a lot from their TV shows these days. We crave innovative, original storytelling and shows that make a statement. This Is Us just does it in a quieter, more accessible way. Midway through its fourth season, the family melodramedy (is that a word?) has failed to disappoint yet. The show is taking its sweet time unveiling layers of its characters, but they continue to develop. A recent “Big Three trilogy,” following each of the Pearson siblings during the same week with loads of illuminating flashbacks, revealed so much about the family we know (or thought we knew) and love. We’re finally seeing some cracks in the almost mythical relationship between Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). Nothing sinister is revealed about their love story or parenting, just humanizing flaws that ground them both. Jack overwhelmed with three toddlers, begging Randall to be the easy one; Rebecca missing Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) soap opera debut as a young actor. The Pearsons: They’re just like us! This Is Us can teeter into after-school special territory. Things always ultimately shake out just fine for the Pearsons. At one point this season, Kevin makes the ridiculous assertion that he’ll

be married with a kid by the time he’s 40 — less than a year away. A flash-forward vaguely confirms his prediction, and fans are left hunting for clues as to who this mystery woman could be. It’s a bit of a gimmick creator Dan Fogelman and the other writers use to pull viewers in — give us a taste of what’s to come only to reel it way back for the plot to slowly unfurl. But it is a whole lot of fun, and who would think a family dramedy could incite so many theories on Reddit? Compared to other current massivescale epics, it’s hard to rank This Is Us alongside arguably higher-brow family dramas like Succession or Watchmen. But This Is Us, like its beloved predecessors Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, does what it does well, like a storied hole-in-the-wall diner that serves up the most delicious comfort food. As for the Big Three and Company? Randall is poised for a serious mental breakdown; Kevin may be rushing into yet another relationship trying to capture the love his parents had; and Kate (Chrissy Metz) is isolated as a mother of a premature baby born nearly blind as husband Toby (Chris Sullivan) drifts in more ways than one. We know Rebecca is dealing with health issues, while Jack’s estranged brother Nicky (Griffin Dunne) has rejoined the Pearson clan. There are still two major flashforwards we’ve seen that are yet to be resolved. The first, at least 10 years in the future, shows the family gathering around Rebecca for her final moments. This is likely the events of the series finale, which showrunners have teased will air after the sixth season. The other glimpse we’ve seen is to the Big Three’s 40th birthday, where Rebecca’s condition has seemed to worsen and Kevin and Randall are on the outs. Clearly the show is not shying away from exposing some of the sad truths about relationships, because family is so much more than just the smiling faces around a dinner table.

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FOOD & DRINK

The downstairs dining room, lined with family photos P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

Family Style Thunderdome’s Over-the-Rhine Italian eatery Pepp & Dolores pays tribute to the founders’ grandparents with a fresh-pasta-centric menu and lovely wine list R E V I E W BY PA M A M IT C H E L L

ecently, I went to Over-the-Rhine on a late afternoon outing with several friends to celebrate one of their weddings. We started at a couple of bars and then hit the sidewalk to find someplace for dinner. Rather stupidly — OK, very stupidly — we didn’t think ahead to the fact that we would be wanting dinner in Cincinnati’s busiest neighborhood at around 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. I’m sure you can guess what happened as we walked into place after place asking for a table for five. No, we didn’t have a reservation, and so the wait estimates ranged from 90 minutes to three hours. One three-hour quote was a response we got at the newest hit restaurant in the ’hood, Pepp & Dolores. (We eventually gave up on eating in OTR, got in our cars and had a nice meal farther downtown.) Although we were out of luck that night, I’d eaten at Pepp & Dolores a

couple of times since they opened in mid-December. Specializing in a variety of housemade pastas, the restaurant is both the most upscale and the most personally meaningful of those owned by brothers Joe and John Lanni under their corporate umbrella, the Thunderdome Restaurant Group. Thunderdome has been remarkably successful with several of its concepts, including the fast/healthy bowl/burrito chain Currito, superb taqueria Bakersfield and the incredibly popular fried chicken eatery The Eagle. But none of those places come close to the deep family connections manifested at Pepp & Dolores, named after the brothers’ grandparents; Pepp is short for the common Italian name Giuseppe and Dolores is an anglicized version of Addolorata. Pepp and Dolores emigrated from Italy in the middle of the last century, and Joe and John treasure memories of eating bountiful pasta

meals at their grandparents’ home. After several years of building their successful restaurant group with partner Alex Blust, the Lanni brothers were ready to go full steam ahead to create a restaurant that pays homage to those memories. They invested in renovating a building at the upper end of the gentrified part of Vine Street, across from the demolished Kroger and now on the edge of yet more development. It’s a corner building across from modern diner Sacred Beast, with windows fully lining two street-facing walls that can open when weather permits. The room has a full bar with more than a dozen seats separated by a low wall from the dining room. Downstairs, you’ll find a completely different space — darker and wood-paneled, with a backlit bar and a couple hundred framed family photographs. I’ve dined in both rooms and at this time of year, I prefer the lower level for its coziness and the intimate feel those photos add. But in either dining or bar area, you’ll have the same menu to choose from and there’s a lot to recommend. Pepp & Dolores is basically a pasta house, with no meat or seafood entrées. There are nine pasta dishes, all of which feature noodles made in the restaurant’s own pasta room. With my companions, I’ve tried about half of them, which range from dishes featuring sauces heavy with meat

or seafood to light, vegetable-based sauces and those that highlight cheese and cream. Some are a combination of several of those elements. The plate called Sunday Sauce ($16) seems dearest to the owners’ hearts as it represents the meat-laden, long-simmering tomato-based sauce from their grandparents’ kitchen. It’s incredibly rich and filling with veal and pork meatballs, braised pork shoulder and plenty of parmigiano-reggiano cheese. I preferred a couple of the lighter pastas, though, such as the Limone ($14) — spaghetti with Meyer lemon, chili flakes, garlic breadcrumbs and a couple of cheeses. And although I’m not a huge fan of pesto sauces, Pepp & Dolores’s version — served over herb campanelle pasta ($14) — won me over with its delicate balance of flavors that avoided any sharp tang of raw garlic or too much basil. You shouldn’t just focus on the pastas here, though. Some of the sides are terrific, and I suggest never passing up a chance to enjoy a portion of the eggplant involtini ($10). The thinnest possible slices of eggplant are rolled up around a bit of ricotta cheese, topped with a simple but flavorful tomato sauce and dusted with garlic breadcrumbs and parmigiano. Three rolls come with each serving, so it’s quite

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shareable. Two outstanding appetizers delighted my taste buds, as well: marinated cucumbers ($6) and fried artichokes ($8). There are a couple of crostini appetizers, one with mushrooms ($8) and the other featuring caponata, an eggplantbased topping Eggplant involtini (right) with bread and housemade ricotta ($7). The bread P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R for the toasts comes from has put together a satisfying array of Allez Bakery in OTR, as do two other mostly Italian wines by the glass (or types of bread you can order as starters half glass) or bottle that the staff can or with your pasta. One is called The help you navigate. The house pours of Dunk ($6), which comes with a bowl white and, especially, the house Chianti of herb-filled vinaigrette topped with are outstanding choices that you really grated cheese and rolls to break apart don’t have to look beyond. and dip (or dunk). That’s an innovative Pepp & Dolores does not have way to serve bread and it seems to be dessert, but each check comes with getting a lot of buzz, although I found complementary Italian amaretti cookthe dip a little too vinegary with the ies. And you can always finish with a bit wine I was drinking. The other bread of housemade limoncello — not a bad option is a serving of housemade way to wrap up a lovely dinner. ricotta with grilled sourdough ($7). Pepp & Dolores, 1501 Vine St., OverThe wine service definitely deserves the-Rhine, peppanddolores.com. a shout-out. Sommelier Lindsay Furia

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FEBRUARY 8 – MAY 3 From Treasure Island to King Arthur, Wyeth brought to life iconic characters and novels, inspiring Star Wars and Game of Thrones’ creators to “imagine what an adventure story might look like.” – PBS News Hour

Save on admission: taftmuseum.org N. C. Wyeth: New Perspectives is co-organized by the Brandywine River Museum of Art and the Portland Museum of Art. Exhibition Sponsors Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee The Sutphin Family Foundation Season Funder

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IMAGE: N. C. Wyeth (American, 1882–1945), Captain Nemo (detail), 1918, oil on canvas, 40 3/16 x 30 1/8 in. The Andrew and Betsy Wyeth Collection

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Stuyedeyed P H OTO : R AC H E L CA B IT T

Stuyedeyed is Cast Brooklyn Psych/Punk band Stuyedeyed works to find the perfect balance of uncomfortable and fun BY B R I A N BA K E R

rooklyn-based Stuyedeyed (pronounced “stide-ide”) is a mosaic of musical dynamics and cultural awareness, whose adopted hometown is one of the planet’s biggest melting pots. As for the quartet’s musical aesthetic, Stuyedeyed’s intense blend of Punk, Garage Rock and Psychedelia howls with inescapable rage and passion. For example, “Butcher Shop,” from their latest EP, Moments of Terribleness, exudes the verve and fury of bands like Suicidal Tendencies, At the Drive-In and Fugazi. Simultaneously, Stuyedeyed offers an incredible sonic range that incorporates quieter passages within the tumult, which bassist Humberto Genão attributes to the broad experiential range of the band’s individual members. “On the subject of the quiet and loud dynamics, that very much reflects each member of the band, because we all have different dynamics within ourselves and we try to add those flavors to the songwriting,” Genão says. “I wouldn’t say it’s a proper formula but that’s sort of the main idea. Nelson (Antonio Hernandez-Espinal), the

guitarist and lead singer, is the main composer and he brings a lot of ideas into the studio and we kind of hack at them. I’m the bass player, so I’m always sitting in the back and I get to see things develop in a very organic way.” The band’s frenetic sound is driven by the musicians’ common musical interests and their broadly unique influences as well as their distinct cultural experiences associated with their Latinx backgrounds. Those influences and experiences are then refracted through the prism of their New York environment, which adds yet another interesting component to Stuyedeyed’s varied presentation. “I could name Hip Hop or Rock & Roll that we all listen to, like Black Sabbath, but we’re all very eclectic in the sense that we’re in New York City and this is a melting pot,” says Genão, who identifies himself as a “citizen of the world” due to his Angolan/Portuguese heritage and nomadic upbringing. “I come from out of the country, Luis (Ruelas), the drummer, is from California…so we all have these different variables when it comes to colloquial tastes. I grew up with

Afrobeat and Fela Kuti, so I’m definitely the church man in the band. Nelson has deep Puerto Rican and Dominican roots and I’ve learned so much Salsa and Caribbean Afrobeat from him. It’s a really unique perspective.” Stuyedeyed’s seeds were sown nearly a decade ago, just after Genão moved to New York as a 20-year-old session bassist and met New York native Espinal at a studio gig. The singer/guitarist, then 17, impressed Genão with his songs, leading to the typical “we should work together” conversation. Around six years ago, that suggestion finally came to fruition. “Nelson pulled me in the back of a van and was like, ‘Dude, I’ve got a show in like three hours, and I don’t even know the name for this band but here’s my demos. If you can learn them right now, you can play today,’ ” Genão says. “That was how it started.” Though clunky at first glance, the band’s name came about as organically as its sound. The “Stuy” part of the name refers to Espinal’s original New York neighborhood, BedfordStuyvesant. Although the initial christening was born of panic and necessity, Stuyedeyed has come to represent the band’s sense of self. “We must have been walking down the street smoking a joint and walked into a bodega or something,” Genão says. “We had a multitude of firing back and forth, and as silly as it may have seemed at the time, it grew on us

because it does have a resonance on what it means to have a perspective on a place. Having a Stuy-eye mentality or any interpretation of that is purely personal, but I think Stuyedeyed is like having an accessible piece of information or a sense of reporting, and being there by having that perspective.” “I’m kind of like the dad (of the band),” Genão adds, “so you’re getting existential answers, but to me, it feels like that.” For a while, Espinal and Genão populated Stuyedeyed with a rotating cast of players, but with the addition of Ruelas and guitarist George Ramirez, the band gelled into a consistently formidable sonic powerhouse. With the band’s evolution, Espinal’s songwriting grew as well, becoming an even sharper outlet for his outrage at racism, police brutality and gentrification, leading the band to find the balance between entertaining and proselytizing. “That’s becoming more and more clear as we go along and with Moments of Terribleness, it’s the clearest it’s ever been,” Genão says. “Songwriting is very personal, and even if you try to hide things, on a psychological level, you’re laying down bits and pieces of your psyche that you could never hide. We’re becoming more attuned to each other’s frame of thinking, so the lyrics kind of subconsciously hit you. I think intimacy is the catalyst here, definitely a personal approach to songwriting but also feeling uncomfortable and knowing

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it’s OK to say these things onstage and then laugh about it. It’s finding that balance of, ‘We’re human, but we enjoy that sense of work. Don’t feel guilty for the work you put in.’ It’s the balance of life, I suppose.” Stuyedeyed’s other wirewalk is the fine line of addressing and incorporating their distinct Latinx heritages into their music without making it their defining characteristic. Stuyedeyed “That conversation is P H O T O : S T U Y E D E Y E D. B A N D C A M P. C O M not necessarily ignored but it’s not something recent Moments of Terribleness. As you announce as soon as you walk in Genão notes, the band will probably the door,” Genão says. “We’ve found a never stop playing longtime staple balance by getting onstage and dancing “Mr. Policeman” from Funeral, but the to a Cumbia beat while playing Rock, group’s current tour will find them and people come up to us afterward concentrating on the new EP as well and say, ‘What is that? What happened as fresh, untested material that could there?’ We understand that we live in comprise their first full-length album. a world where we sometimes have to “All of these songs are still being cover what we say so that people don’t worked with and they’re still breathing,” think a certain way, and sometimes Genão says. “So playing them live and that balance comes with a sacrifice, the reaction we get will solidify them. but we’re finding a way to deliver that It’s going to be fun.” uncomfortable message without having to sacrifice. That’s the goal, always.” Stuyedeyed plays a free show All of this coalesces during Thursday, Feb. 20 at Over-theStuyedeyed’s frenzied live appearRhine’s MOTR Pub. More show info: ances, which have included songs motrpub.com. from 2017’s Funeral EP and the more

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Watkins Family Hour

NORTHSIDE 4179 Hamilton Ave. 513-569-0420

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April 11

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w/ special guest Kississippi PRESENTED BY

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Tickets: $30.00 to $75.00 memorialhallotr.com | 513.977.8838 Includes pre-concert reception.

SPILL IT

Cincinnati Music Web Series ‘Donuts N’ Akahol’ Returns BY M I K E B R E E N

The web series Donuts N’ Akahol — which spotlights a variety of Cincinnati musical acts — recently returned for its sixth season. And alongside their usual insightful interview features, hosts Graval Baehr and Tatum have introduced an expanded format with a few new elements, including a regular live performance segment. Tatum and Graval met in 2017 at a Hip Hop show Graval had organized. The pair quickly bonded over “our love for music, media and Kanye West,” Graval says, and it wasn’t long after that that they came up with the concept for Donuts N’ Akahol. A Chicago native, Tatum is also an on-air personality on 101.1 FM The Wiz (where he regularly interviews artists), while Cincinnatian Graval — a Hocking College grad with a degree in Music Management — does music booking and promotions. The new friends soon got to talking about starting a project that would shine a spotlight on the Cincinnati music scene. They wanted to do an interview series and at first thought an audio podcast would be the best route. But when friend and videographer Jake Witte got involved, the concept evolved into a YouTube series. After filming a few episodes, the pair became desperate for a name for the series. Graval says they were getting ready to interview local MC D-Eight and they began looking around the room, Keyser Söze-style, and naming things they saw, including items in the food spread they had laid out. “Tatum starts rattling off names and finally gets to ‘donuts n akahol’ and I’m like, ‘That’s it!’ ” Graval says of the title, which also became the on-set snacks provided in episodes going forward. “With Tatum’s accent, alcohol sounded like ‘akahol’ and I was like, we got to keep it that way.” Since their first episode in December 2017, there have been more than 60 shows, which feature interviews with numerous Cincinnati Hip Hop artists (including Lantana, Wayne Fowler, Monty C. Benjamin, DJ J. Dough, Triiibe, Patterns of Chaos, Khari and Suicide Rascal), as well as R&B performers (like Jazmyn Alexis, Leo Pastel and Bla’szé) and AltPop/AltRock bands (such as Multimagic, Misnomer and Moonbeau). Among other special episodes and features, they’ve also hosted live sessions, Rap cyphers and thoughtful discussions with others involved in different facets of local arts and culture — from fashion to media. Graval says his passion for local music developed when he returned to Cincinnati after college and started recognizing the wealth of talent and how it wasn’t getting the attention he felt it merited. “I think our scene can stand up to any other city and hold its own weight,” he says. “I feel like the only issue in Cincinnati is that people don’t really get behind their own like, for example,

Donuts N’ Akahol’s Graval Baehr (left) and Tatum (right) with rapper Seezyn P H OTO : E R I N W E L LS

Chicago, New York or Atlanta. So that’s why we wanted to be a central place where people could learn about the talent we have here and encourage people to rally around the talent we have here.” But just because you offer a unique, creative and accessible platform doesn’t mean there will immediately be an audience, of course. Part of the struggle to attract viewers is the stigma that’s attached to homegrown music, with some music fans simply dismissing an artist because it’s “just local.” “We see it all the time,” Graval says of the resistance to local music. “I find it so hard to get my friends outside of the music scene to take a ‘local’ artist serious. I feel like we put these national known artists on such a high pedestal and idolize them so when we see someone from our own city, we don’t view them in the same light. It’s almost like people think, ‘Well if they are so good, then why aren’t they famous yet?’ ” Donuts has built up a following thanks to the quality production values and the hosts’ deft interviewing skills. They’re both knowledgeable and personable, seeming to put their guests at ease with their charm and humor while also amping up the engagement with the obvious planning and research they put into each interview. They also have a knack for booking Cincinnatiaffiliated artists right before they break bigger. “I think the best interviews are when we talk to an artist right before they are doing something monumental,” Graval says. “For example, we caught up with

Cal Scruby right before he released his last album, Unsigned, and it was cool to watch that album be received so well on a national level. It felt like we were along for the ride. “Same with our interview with Seezyn — we interviewed him right before he got signed and started working with Juice WRLD and started performing at big festivals like Rolling Loud and Day N Vegas. It’s so satisfying to watch these artists grow and get the shine they deserve.” Seezyn recently returned for the sixth season premiere. The MC talked about the hard work he’s been putting in to capitalize on the buzz created by “Hide,” his collaboration with the late Juice WRLD that was featured in the hit movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as well as his great new album, Tis. The Season 6 premiere also introduced a few new segments. “The new season is so exciting,” Graval says. “We weren’t too happy with the amount of views we were getting, so instead of complaining or blaming people, we wanted to change it up. Adding the segments makes it more fun to watch. It gives us an extra layer to show off, not only ours, but also the artists’ personalities in a way you wouldn’t be able to by just listening to their music.” One of the new segments is the hilarious “Respect The Drip” spot, in which the hosts are joined by local artists Oski Isaiah and Dayo Gold to taste-test an array of hot sauces. Also entertaining is “Truth or Drink” — think “Truth or Dare” but with tequila shots instead of dares.

The show has also added a regular live music segment with backing from the band Sound the Alarm. Filmed at The Lodge in Northern Kentucky, the Season 6 premiere has rapper Papa Gora performing his song “Ringing.” The latest episode — featuring a chat with Santino Corleon — has a live performance by Dayo Gold. Graval says one of the ways he thinks the Cincinnati music community can be lifted up and perhaps one day approach the elite “music city” status of select other scenes around the country is by rallying support behind those artists who are ready for the national stage. “We need to get behind a select few artists and really push them to the next level,” he says. “After watching cities like Chicago that got behind a few artists, their whole scene was amplified to a national level and that trickled down to everyone else. If we can all put our egos and pride aside to work together and work toward a common goal, anything is possible.” “For the community,” he adds, “please get behind the talent we have here. We always hear complaints about certain venues or bars that only play ‘Top 40’ hits and lame music when there are extremely talented musicians playing original music almost every night.” For more on Donuts N’ Akahol, visit youtube.com/donutsnakahol, where you can watch episodes from all six seasons.

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Contact Mike Breen: mbreen@citybeat.com

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SOUND ADVICE Left Lane Cruiser with Megahussy

Friday, Feb. 21 • Southgate House Revival It hardly seems possible that Joe Evans IV has been fronting his explosive guitar/drums duo Left Lane Cruiser for over 15 years, in that time compiling a catalog of nearly a dozen albums at a pace of an album per year. The band has only recorded for two labels during their history; their first album was released through Hillgrass Bluebilly in Evans’ hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the rest of the band’s releases have come via L.A.-based indie Alive Records, home at one time or another to the likes of The Black Keys, Radio Moscow and Cincinnati’s own Buffalo Killers. Evans started Left Lane Cruiser in 2004 with drummer Brenn “Sausage Paw” Beck, releasing Gettin’ Down On It two years later. From the start, Evans pledged his allegiance to North Mississippi guitar swampers like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, marrying their six-string Blues histrionics to his own affinity for Punk and Garage Rock. Left Lane Cruiser fleshed out its sound with the addition of Left Lane Cruiser keyboards provided by Black P H O T O : J O E L FAU R O T E Diamond Heavies’ James Leg for the 2012 album Painkillers. Highlighted by covers of Jimi Kyle Daniel with John Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9,” Led ZeppeMorgen lin’s “When the Levee Breaks” and the Saturday, Feb. 22 • Southgate House Rolling Stones’ “Sway,” the album also Revival featured bass from renowned Detroit Fans of new millennium Americana producer Jim Diamond and harp from and Roots Rock have discovered that Harmonica Shah. The sound of bass Kyle Daniel checks a whole lot of classic must have appealed to Evans; for 2015’s boxes. First there’s Daniel’s raspy Dirty Spliff Blues, he added four-stringer roadhouse lead vocals, reminiscent of Joe Bent (who also played “electrified everyone from Paul Thorn to Edwin skateboard”), after having welcomed McCain to Noah Hunt. Then there’s his new drummer Pete Dio in 2014. By crack band, churning out slide guitar 2017’s Claw Machine Wizard, Bent had licks as effortlessly as Warren Haynes, also exited the band, making Left Lane organ runs that reverberate with the Cruiser a duo once again. power of Sunday services at the church Last year saw the duo of Evans and of Southern Rock and a rhythm section Dio release Shake and Bake, the third as powerful as the Allman Brothers Left Lane Cruiser album to feature a (Daniel’s avowed primary influence, cover illustration from renowned fanwho he saw over 50 times before Gregg tasy artist William Stout, whose work Allman’s unfortunate passing) and as has graced album covers by The Beach soulful as a Stax session in 1969. All of Boys and Firesign Theatre, as well as this is evident on Daniel’s sophomore numerous bootlegs and Heavy Metal EP, last year’s What’s There to Say?, magazine. Shake and Bake is filled with and its lead single, the sympathetic classic blistering barnburners like “Two addiction anthem “Born to Lose.” Dollar Elvis,” “Breaking You Down” and Hailing from Bowling Green, Kenthe choogling title track, leaving only tucky, Daniel released his debut EP one question: Will 2020 be an off year in 2018 to almost universal acclaim. for Left Lane Cruiser, or will the duo Rolling Stone wrote him up numerous get back on their album-a-year cycle times and he garnered comparisons after the two-year gap between Claw to Blackberry Smoke, Will Hoge and Machine Wizard and Shake and Bake Chris Stapleton. He’s also warmed up broke their annual album streak at audiences for Jason Isbell and Miranda seven? Time will tell. (Brian Baker) Lambert. Daniel’s 2018 EP was merely

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Kyle Daniel P H OTO : S E A N M A RS H A L L

Cam’ron P H OTO : P ROV I D E D

a teaser for What’s There to Say?, which found Daniel expanding his sound and ambition exponentially. Daniel recently bid farewell to his Swedish guitar foil David Henriksson, who played his final show with the band in early February, on the eve of the expiration of his work visa. Still in the fold is guitarist Seth Rentfrow, a Michigan native who was a fixture in the Lansing music scene and subsequently met Daniel at a songwriters round after relocating to Nashville, becoming his tour manager, music director, writing collaborator and band member. What could 2020 possibly hold for Kyle Daniel and his band? A full-length album filled with the sizzle and scorch of the EPs would be a good place to start. (BB)

Cam’ron with Triiibe, pERez and DJ Drowsy Monday, Feb. 24 • Bogart’s Cam’ron emerged from a Hip Hop era that now seems eons ago. The man born Cameron Giles came of age in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a tried and true formula: gritty street-based storytelling; fluid flow; boundless charisma; and a maximalist approach to production (courtesy of his buddies in the Diplomats), all of which was leavened by a healthy dose of braggadocio and debauchery. Cam’ron grew up in Harlem hustling and playing basketball with Mase, who later introduced him to Sean “Puff

Daddy” Combs and the Notorious B.I.G. Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records soon came calling, through which Cam dropped a pair of albums, culminating in 2004’s Purple Haze, a high-gloss breakthrough featuring guests like Kanye West and Nicole Wray and samples from the Ohio Players and Marvin Gaye to Cyndi Lauper and Earth, Wind & Fire. Only two official albums followed (the most recent being 2009’s Crime Pays) until Cam resurfaced late last year with Purple Haze 2. “The studio’s in the house, so even when I’m not working, I’m working,” he said in an interview with Complex in December 2019. “A lot of times, I tell myself I’m not going to fuck with music no more, but then I end up fucking with music, even if it doesn’t come out. It’s the 15-year anniversary of Purple Haze this year. So I was like, damn, I have so many dope songs, and I’m still working, why not do a Part 2 around the anniversary of Part 1? People are always asking me for music, so I thought it was time to put some music back out.” Purple Haze 2’s 16 songs over nearly an hour of music opens with “Toast to Me,” a chirpy banger that announces Cam’s return, but it’s a return tinged with the type of reflection that comes 15 years after your perceived apex: “I mean, it all seems necessary/For this money, by all means necessary/If you messed up, it’s very rare you get a pass/ We the reasons bodegas doubled up on the Plexiglass.” (Jason Gargano) CONTINUES ON PAGE 50

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Upcoming shows Another Lost Year Friday, February 21 Mick Blankenship with Livid & Rootbound Saturday, February 22

Star Parks’ Andy Bianculli P H OTO : L E T IT I A S M IT H

Mack Lethal Friday, March 6

FROM PAGE 49

Star Parks with Mike Adams At His Honest Weight

Jacob Bryant Saturday, March 7 Brother Ali Friday, March 27 Bimp Lizkit / Limp Bizkit Tribute Saturday, April 4 Upchurch Friday, April 10 Big Gigantic Tuesday, April 14 Combichrist & King 810 with A Killers Confession, Heartsick Friday, April 24

Where Performances Become Legend

riverfrontlivecincy.com Ticket Information 513-321-2572 50

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Wednesday, Feb. 26 • MOTR Pub What started as a solo project from the fertile mind of Andy Bianculli has now grown into Star Parks, a band capable of lush, intricately constructed songs inspired by everyone from The Beach Boys Ace of Wands to Mercury Rev. P H OTO : P ROV I D E D In 2016, Bianculli — an ambitious second record, The New Sounds of Late singer/songwriter/guitarist from Capitalism, teems with Spector-esque Austin, Texas — had a batch of songs grandeur, moving from the Folkfrom a previous project he was itching fortified Chamber Pop of “One Big Sigh” to record. He grabbed some friends to the kaleidoscopic Soul of “Something — drummer Keith Lough, keyboardist More,” which finds Bianculli yearning Nathaniel Klugman and bassist Ben for a love seemingly out of reach (“I Burdick — and put down what would was feeling sentimental about a cynical become Don’t Dwell, an eight-song girl”) and is brightened by soaring effort rife with melancholy and horns, marching drums and keyboard anchored by Bianculli’s aching, highlines that would make Herbie Hancock whine croon. smile. (JG) “All the greatest records I’ve ever heard were made by Phil Spector,” Ace of Wands with Kate Bianculli said in an interview with Wakefield and Bershy The Noise Room at the time. “I’ll never Thursday, Feb. 27 • Northside Tavern make one that sounds that good. No In the Minor Arcana, the Ace of Wands one will. It’s sad to me that most people tarot card represents creation — birth, make records on laptops or without newfound initiative or fresh ideas. ever picking up an instrument. I mean, For Canadian singer/songwriter Lee it has its merits and a lot of great Rose, the card christened her band, records were made that way. But the which deals in cavernous Indie Rock feeling of being in a studio around guitaristry and gloomy violin. six or seven musicians and pressing “(In 2017), when I was feeling so record and nailing it and having the messed up in life, I started to use my microphones pick up the energy in that tarot deck to try to clarify my feelings — room is the best way to make a record.” and the first card I pulled was the Ace Sure enough, Star Parks’ lineup is of Wands,” Rose told Music, Musings & now a six-piece cemented by Wayne Such in an interview. “When the three Myers on trombone and Derek Phelps of us came together in this project, it on trumpet. The band’s freshly minted felt like a beautiful collaboration and

NIGHTLY FREE LIVE MUSIC AND LATE NIGHT EATS DAILY LUNCH AND 1/2 OFF HAPPY HOUR

WED 19 THU 20

Nektar P H O T O : J AY P E T S K O

representation of all the forces held within the Ace of Wands card.” Joined by Anna Mernieks on guitar and Jody Brumell on drums, the trio’s combined willpower materialized as their debut record, Lioness, which dropped last February. It digs into lowtempo grooves, letting ominous riffs simmer in a reverb-y broth. Though its self-imposed “Doom Lounge” genre tag is quite accurate, the album’s best cuts, like “Grown from Good,” reveal the hints of shimmering optimism bubbling beneath ’80s Goth Rock sensibilities. The song’s accompanying video delves further into this contrast, centering on a shot of Rose floating in milky blue water before a jarring cut to her swathed in 30 feet of red and yellow fabric — this time treading forward. It’s an ambitious visual statement for a DIY act, but one that speaks to Ace of Wands’ sound. For all the band’s patience and intimacy, each song on Lioness feels more anthemic than the sum of its parts. Images of sylvan wildlife and occultism leave much to be discovered among the wintry chords of Rose’s discontent. Tread carefully. (Jude Noel)

Nektar

Friday, Feb. 28 • Ludlow Garage For anyone who grinds their teeth over the conceptual nature and Classical-length suites conceived by Prog bands in the ’70s, you may direct at least some of your dissatisfaction toward Nektar. After all, the band’s 1971 debut, Journey to the Centre of the Eye, consisted of 13 tracks knitted together into a single 40-minute piece of music that told the tale of an astronaut imbued with wisdom beyond conventional human understanding by an advanced alien race. With its Psych/ Rock/Prog presentation and narrative storyline, Nektar’s first album is widely considered an early example of the Rock Opera form, coming fairly quickly on the heels of The Pretty Things’ S.F. Sorrow and The Who’s Tommy. Nektar was founded in 1969 by a group of British musicians who had

relocated to Hamburg, Germany, a Rock hotbed that had proven successful for a previous quartet of musical Brits less than a decade earlier. The band’s 1972 sophomore album, A Tab in the Ocean, was more traditionally songstructured, and 1973’s improvisational …Sounds Like This helped grow their cult audience. But it was their American debut, Remember the Future, also released in 1973, that vaulted them into the upper tier of the Billboard album chart (it reached No. 13). Both Remember the Future and 1974’s Down to Earth were concept pieces — Future was a continuation of the story on their debut — and both were commercially well received. After 1975’s Recycled, original guitarist/vocalist Roye Albrighton left the band, and they carried on with Dave Nelson for 1977’s Magic is a Child, but broke up in 1978. The following year, Albrighton resurrected Nektar for 1980’s Man in the Moon, and dissolved the band once again in 1982. In 2000, Nektar was reformed once again and released The Prodigal Son in 2001. After reuniting the band’s most popular lineup for a festival appearance, Nektar began a long decade-and-a-half of personnel shifts and management problems, but released a new studio album, 2008’s Book of Days, and a booked a European tour that spawned the 2009 live album Fortyfied. After a covers album and a new studio release, Albrighton died in 2016, but his final Nektar tour was celebrated with the double album Live in Bremen. At this point, Nektar splintered into two separate bands, both dubbed Nektar — one based in Germany featuring latter day members of the band and the other based in the U.S. featuring founding members Ron Howden on drums and Derek “Mo” Moore on bass. That latter aggregation is the one on tour and coming to Cincinnati. They recently released a new album, The Other Side, featuring new takes on old Nektar songs that were never officially recorded. You know, there just might be a concept album in Nektar’s own history… (BB)

WED 26

7, COMEDY OPEN MIC

STAR PARKS (AUSTIN) W/ MIKE ADAMS AT HIS CURRENT WEIGHT

STUYEDEYED (GREENWAY RECORDS, KING PIZZA THU RECORDS / BROOKLYN) W/ OREGON SPACE 27 TRAIL (CLEVELAND) AND IN THE PINES

FRI 21

PERFECT CHILDREN W/ THE SHIVERS

FRI 28

S AT 22

W/ NOTHIN’ AND BRIANNA KELLY

MOLLY SULLIVAN

S AT 29

THE PISTOL MYSTICS W/ THE MORTALS 4-7PM, FINAL FRIDAY OPENING EXHIBIT FEAT. CHRIS KROMER AND DJ NATESJ 10, FLOCKS W/ BROOKLYNN RAE AND JONESS THE YUGOS

W/ COASTAL CLUB

SUN 23

8, PHOUL PHILL ANDT GUILL W/ LASHES 10, COMEDY OPEN MIC

SUN 1

8, BUFFALO NICHOLS

MON 24

ANNIE HART W/ ZOO

MON 2

8, TRUTH SERUM: COMEDY GAME SHOW 9:30, FAIRMOUNT GIRLS RESIDENCY W/ SLUTBOMB

TUE 25

9, WRITER’S NIGHT W/ BRENDAN FEAT. SAMMY MCKEE

TUE 3

WRITER’S NIGHT W/ DAVE FEAT. CHRISTI SWING

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F E B R U A RY 1 9 - M A R C H 3 , 2 0 2 0

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

F E B R U A RY 1 9 - M A R C H 3 , 2 0 2 0

MUSIC LISTINGS WEDNESDAY 19

BOGART’S - The All-American H Rejects with Liberty Deep Down and Leggy. 8 p.m. Pop Rock. $70.

TAFT THEATRE - The Fab Four-The Ultimate Tribute. 8 p.m. Beatles tribute. $28-$49.

MEMORIAL HALL - Drew & Ellie Holcomb. 8 p.m. Americana. $25-$45.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Jim Smith Quartet. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

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

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Shiny Old Soul. 9 p.m. Cosmic Roots. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Spiderhand. 8 p.m. Rock/Various. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Maritime Law. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

THURSDAY 20

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free. BIG ASH BREWING - The Redemption Brothers. 8 p.m. Folk/Roots. BLIND LEMON - Mark Macomber. 8 p.m. Acoustic. Free. BOGART’S - American Authors with Magic Giant and PUBLIC. 7:30 p.m. Pop/Rock/Folk. $25.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Akiko/Hamilton/ H Dechter Organ Trio. Jazz Organ. $15-$25 (shows at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.).

THE COMET - Invisible Engine, Spitwad Angels and The Almost Infinite. 10 p.m. Rock. Free. FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY 3 Piece Revival. 8 p.m. Rock. Free. HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Now Hear This. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Sly Band. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Pop/Dance. Cover. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER Danny Frazier. 9 p.m. Country. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Bad Habit. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover. LUDLOW GARAGE - The Box Tops. 8:30 p.m. Rock. $20-$35.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Chris Andrews Quartet. 7:30 p.m. Jazz.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Ted Karas and The Meteorites. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

MADISON THEATER - Twiddle. 9 p.m. Rock/Jam. $18, $20 day of show.

THE MAD FROG - Cult Chronicles H Vol 2 presented by Bass Cult with Vusive, Thelonious Mung, Space Wolf and more. 8 p.m. EDM/Bass. $5.

MOTR PUB - Stuyedeyed with With Oregon Space Trail Of Doom and In The Pines. 10 p.m. Psych/Rock/ Various. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Knife the Symphony, Ohio Sons and Slugsalt. 9 p.m. Post Punk/Indie Rock/Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Whiskey Wolves of the West. 9 p.m. Country/Roots. $10, $12 day of show. STANLEY’S PUB - Jam Fest with deFrance, SolEcho and Baccano. 6:30 p.m. Rock/Jam/Various. $5.

URBAN ARTIFACT - The High Plains Drifter with Dr. J and the Apostles. 9 p.m. Rock. Free.

WOODWARD THEATER THRIVE: We Are with Vibe-One, Dayo Gold, Chris Crooks and Jaybee Lamahj. 9 p.m. Hip Hop. $10.

FRIDAY 21

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Suzy Bogguss. 8 p.m. Country. $25-$35.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL The Whiskey Shambles. 8 p.m. Roots. Free.

BIG ASH BREWING - Bellowing H Pines with Seth Gilliam & The Fake News and Freedom Nicole Moore. 8 p.m. Rock/Soul/Funk/Alt.

BLIND LEMON - Donna Frost. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free. BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Green Jelly. 7 p.m. Rock. $15.

MOTR PUB - The Perfect Children with The Shivers. 10 p.m. Rock/Various. Free. NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Misnomer, Watkins and Sam Soto. 9 p.m. Indie Rock/Various. Free. PARRISH AUDITORIUM - An Evening of Big Band with The Klaberheads. 7 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $15, $20 day of show (at Miami University Hamilton). PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Greg Klyma. 7:30 p.m. Folk/Roots/Rock. Free. RADISSON CINCINNATI RIVERFRONT - Basic Truth. 8 p.m. R&B/Soul/ Funk. Free (in the Fifth Lounge). THE REDMOOR - Just Vince & The Fellas presents MTV vs BET. 8 p.m. Pop/R&B/Rock/Various. Free. RICK’S TAVERN - Whiskey Daze. 9 p.m. Country. Cover. RIVERFRONT LIVE - Another Lost Year, Cold Kingdom, DownOne, Grieving Otis and Unrivaled. 7 p.m. Rock. $10.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Eric Wurzelbacher Quartet. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Everything’s Jake. 7:30 p.m. Rock/Country/R&B. Free.

SATURDAY 22

20TH CENTURY THEATER - The Cincinnati Transit Authority. 8 p.m. Chicago tribute. $20.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Kentucky Struts. 8 p.m. Country/Roots. Free. BIG ASH BREWING - Heavy Hinges. 8 p.m. Rock.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL H (REVIVAL ROOM) - Kyle Daniel with John Morgen. 8 p.m. Country/ Americana. $12, $15 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Melodk Eye, H tOd & the Bad Ideas and Maybe Foolish. 10 p.m. Rock/Various. $5. URBAN ARTIFACT - Co.Etc, SunH mates and Killer Whale Emotions. 9 p.m. Indie/Pop/Rock/Various.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Theater Of Crue. 7 p.m. Motley Crue tribute. $10-$15.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Lagniappe. 7:30 p.m. Cajun. Free.

BOGART’S - Ultimate ’80s Party featuring Tiffany. 8 p.m. Pop/Dance. $10-$100.

WOODY’S ON THE HILL - Bob Cushing. 6 p.m. Acoustic.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE Mandy Gaines with the Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - The Faux Frenchmen. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover. THE COMET - Captain Culpepper. 10 p.m. Rock/Jazz/Various. Free. HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Gary Morrell-Jim Connerley Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD Brass Tracks. 9:30 p.m. Rock. Cover. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER Excalibur. 9 p.m. Rock. Free. KJ’S PUB - Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m. Rock. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Bad Habit. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover. LUDLOW GARAGE - Mark Chesnutt. 8:30 p.m. Country. $35-$75. MAURY’S TINY COVE - Ricky Nye. 7 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free. MCCAULY’S PUB - Danny Frazier. 8 p.m. Country. Free. MOTR PUB - Molly Sullivan with Nothin’ and Brianna Kelly. 10 p.m. Indie/Pop/Rock. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Left Lane Cruiser with Megahussy. 9:30 p.m. Blues/Rock/ Roots.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Ross Hollow. 7:30 p.m. Americana. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Mama Said String Band with Airshow. 10 p.m. Bluegrass/ Jamgrass. $7.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Rye Davis. 10:30 p.m. Country/Rock/Americana. Free.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Rusty Burge Quartet. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Motel Radio with Calumet and Juno Dunes. 8 p.m. Rock/ Roots. $10, $12 day of show.

SORG OPERA HOUSE - The Belairs. 8 p.m. ’50s/’60s Rock. $20, $25 day of show.

BLIND LEMON - Jake Walz. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

SMOKE JUSTIS - Ricky Nye and Bekah Williams. 9 p.m. Blues/Jazz. Free.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Erwin Stuckey Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - The Grove, Acarya, Kyleen Downes and Josh Ferreira. 10 p.m. Alt/Rock/Roots/Various. Free.

THE REDMOOR - The Remember Band. 8:30 p.m. R&B/Jazz/Soul. $10. RICK’S TAVERN - Vinyl Countdown. 9 p.m. ’80s. Cover. RIVERFRONT LIVE - Mick BlanH kenship with Livid and Rootbound. 8 p.m. Rock. $10-$40.

SUNDAY 23

FRETBOARD BREWING COMH PANY - Lindsay Beaver. 5 p.m. Blues/Soul/Rock. Free. MOTR PUB - Phoul Phill Andt Guill and Lashes. 8 p.m. Rock. Free. NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Wolves Not Men and Tough Friend. 8 p.m. Free. SCHWARTZ’S POINT - El Ritmo H De Manana. 6 p.m. Latin Jazz. Cover. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Kulick. 7 p.m. Rock/Pop. $13, $15 day of show. THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE H REVIVAL - Taylor Shannon Memorial. Noon. Country/Rock/Various. Free (donations encouraged).

MONDAY 24

- Cam’ron with Triiibe. H8BOGART’S p.m. Hip Hop. $25. LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Ricky Nye and Bekah Williams. 6 p.m. Blues/ Jazz. Free. MANSION HILL TAVERN - John Redell and Friends. 9 p.m. Open mic. Free. MCCAULY’S PUB - Open Jam with Sonny Moorman. 7 p.m. Blues/Various. Free. PUB - Annie Hart with Zoo. H9MOTR p.m. Indie Pop. Free. STANLEY’S PUB - Jazz Jam with The Stanleyband. 9 p.m. Jazz/Improv. Free.

TUESDAY 25

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Diamond Jim Dews. 7 p.m. Blues. Free. BIG ASH BREWING - Lagniappe. 8 p.m. New Orleans/Cajun/Various. BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Caskey

F E B R U A RY 1 9 - M A R C H 3 , 2 0 2 0

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL H (SANCTUARY) - Town Mountain and Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill

with FrostE the Bandit. 7 p.m. Rap. $15-$25. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Pam Mallory & Wayne Yeager. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. STANLEY’S PUB - Fat Tuesday Party with RumpRyder. 9 p.m. Jamgrass. $10.

WEDNESDAY 26

Hustle. 8 p.m. Roots/Americana. $15, $20 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

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

TAVERN ON THE BEND - Bob Cushing. 7 p.m. Acoustic.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Camille “Saba” Smith Trio. 6 p.m. Neo Soul/Jazz. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Emma Peridot with Abby Vice and Bla’szé. 9 p.m. Pop/Electronic/R&B/Various. Free.

MEMORIAL HALL - Janis Ian. 8 p.m. Singer/Songwriter. $30-$55.

FRIDAY 28

MOTR PUB - Star Parks with Mike Adams At His Current Weight. 9 p.m. Indie Pop. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Reggae Night with Fyakey. 9 p.m. Reggae. $5. URBAN ARTIFACT - Let’s Duet: A Singer Songwriter Duos Night featuring Billy Alletzhauser + Beth Harris (of The Hiders), Josh Muddiman + Travis Talbert and Matt Baumann + Jeremy Smart. 8 p.m. Folk/Blues/Country/Pop. Free.

THURSDAY 27

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free. BIG ASH BREWING - Johnny Armstrong & Eric Leyton. 8 p.m. Acoustic Rock.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Andy Brown & Phil DeGreg. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover. CHRISTIAN MOERLEIN MALT HOUSE TAPROOM - Bockfest with Zinzinnati Bier Band. 5 p.m. German.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - My Sister Sarah. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Pop. Cover. JERZEES PUB & GRUB - Saving Stimpy. 9 p.m. Rock. Free. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER Danny Frazier. 9 p.m. Country. Free.

LEGENDS BAR AND VENUE - FliT and Motel Faces with Mister Mason and Brass Owl. 7 p.m. Rock. $7, $10 day of show.

MADISON LIVE - Manic Focus H with Daily Bread. 9 p.m. Rock/Jam. $15, $18 day of show. MOTR PUB - The Mortals and The Pistol Mystics. 10 p.m. Garage/ Punk. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Ace of H Wands with Bershy and Kate Wakefield. 9 p.m. Indie/Pop/Rock/Various. Free.

RIVERFRONT LIVE - The Soul Rebels with Ernie Johnson from Detroit. 8 p.m. Funk/Jazz/Hip Hop/Various. $20, $25 day of show.

THE REDMOOR - 12th Annual MS Fundraiser with The Generics. 7 p.m. Rock. $25.

THOMPSON HOUSE - Psychostick. 8 p.m. Rock. $15. URBAN ARTIFACT - Big GorH geous, Go Go Buffalo and Black Signal. 9 p.m. Rock/Electronic/Various. WESTSIDE VENUE - Mask of the Charlatan with Black Star Rising. 9 p.m. Hard Rock. $8.

SATURDAY 29

BREWRIVER CREOLE KITCHEN Ricky Nye. 6 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free.

LUDLOW GARAGE - Y&T. 8:30 p.m. Rock. $20-$50.

STANLEY’S PUB - The Stolen Faces. 10 p.m. Grateful Dead tribute. $8.

AWAKENINGS COFFEE & WINE - Off the Cuff. 7 p.m. Acoustic. Free

KNOTTY PINE - Michelle Robinson Band. 10 p.m. Country. Cover.

ous. Free.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Cousin Kissers. 8 p.m. Country. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Billy Otten. 8 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Animal Mother and Brad Linde Group. 7:30 p.m. Jazz.

of show.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL H Jake Speed and the Freddies. 9 p.m. Folk. Free.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Ricky Nye Inc. 9 p.m. Blues/ Jazz. Free.

VINOKLET WINERY - Bluegrass Wednesdays with Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. 6:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Harambe’s H H (SANCTUARY) - Chicago Farmer. Heroes with 11,000 Switches and 9 p.m. Folk/Americana. $15, $18 day IdleAires. 10 p.m. Punk/Post Punk/Vari-

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Play It Forward Presents Flying Leapfest featuring 500 Miles to Memphis, Robin Lacy and Prestige Grease. 7 p.m. Rock/Roots/Blues/Various. $12, $15 day of show.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL Rooster Ridge. 9 p.m. Americana. Free. BLIND LEMON - Jammon Zeiler. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free. BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Sponge. 7 p.m. Pop Rock. $20. BOGART’S - That Arena Rock Show. 8 p.m. Rock. $10-$20. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE Mandy Gaines with the Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Andy Brown & H Petra van Nuis Quartet. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover. CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL - An Evening with The Turtledoves. 7 p.m. Indie/Electronic/Various. Free. THE COMET - El Chapo, Blood Chill and Brain Dead Breath. 10 p.m. Indie/ Pop/Rock/Punk. Free.

GARAGE - Nektar. 8:30 HLUDLOW p.m. Prog Rock. $20-$35. DEAD LOW BREWING - Highly NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - The H Likely (album release show) with H Scotch Bonnets with Newport Hickory Robot. 8 p.m. Americana/ Secret Six. 9 p.m. Reggae/Ska/Rock/ Punk. $8, $10 day of show.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Bob Cushing. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free. THE REDMOOR - Natural Progression. 8 p.m. R&B. Cover. RICK’S TAVERN - Stagger Lee. 9 p.m. Country. Cover. RIVERFRONT LIVE - Kashmir - The Led Zeppelin Show. 8 p.m. Led Zep tribute. $10-$25. POINT - Dan KarlsHSCHWARTZ’S berg Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Society Jazz Orchestra. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Jake Book with John Boyle. 9:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Whitney Fenimore with Daniel Wayne. 9:30 p.m. AltCountry. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL H (REVIVAL ROOM) - Two Inch Winky (release show) with Sok and

Bluegrass/Jamgrass

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Marc Fields Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Whammies. 9:30 p.m. ’80s Pop/Rock. Free. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER Dan Varner. 9 p.m. Country. Free. LUDLOW GARAGE - Huntertones. H 8:30 p.m. Jazz/Funk/Rock/Hip Hop/ Various. $12-$15. MANSION HILL TAVERN - Misterman and the Mojo Band. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover. MOTR PUB - The Yugos with H Coastal Club. 10 p.m. Indie Rock/ Pop. Free.

RICK’S TAVERN - Top This Band. 9 p.m. R&B/Pop/Hip Hop/Dance. Cover. RIVERFRONT LIVE - Sabbath and 2112. 8 p.m. Black Sabbath and Rush tributes. $18. SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Ryan Jones Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Hurts To Laugh, American Goon, The Katies and Adam Flaig & Friends. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL H (REVIVAL ROOM) - The Nothing with Tiger Sex, V-Twin Sin and Trash Knight. 9 p.m. Punk. $5.

STANLEY’S PUB - Space Agents, Dance Furiously and Plazmatic. 10 p.m. Funk. $5. THOMPSON HOUSE - ARMNHMR. 9 p.m. EDM. TORN LIGHT RECORDS - Jordan H Reyes, Forest Management and Slug Death. 7 p.m. Ambient/Experimental/Noise. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Beat Faction with Mindcandy, DJ Troll and Jay Downs. 10 p.m. Alternative/Dance/DJ. Free. WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Acoustic ZaaZoo with Thom Stephenson. 7:30 p.m. Classic Rock. Free.

SUNDAY 01

THE COMET - Comet Bluegrass Allstars. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free. MANSION HILL TAVERN - Deb Ohlinger Open Mic. 9 p.m. Blues. Free. MOTR PUB - Buffalo Nichols. 8 p.m. Roots/Soul/Various. Free. SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Byrd Law. 6 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

MONDAY 02

MANSION HILL TAVERN - John Redell and Friends. 9 p.m. Open mic. Free.

MCCAULY’S PUB - Open Jam with Sonny Moorman. 7 p.m. Blues/Various. Free. NORTHSIDE TAVERN - The Qtet. 9 p.m. Funk/Jazz/Rock/Fusion/Various. Free.

TUESDAY 03

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Lynne Scott, Lee Stolar and Lou Lausche. 7:30 p.m. Jazz

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB H - Today Is The Day with The Obsessed and Flesh Mother. 8 p.m. Metal. $18, $20 day of show.

Casino Warrior. 10 p.m. Punk. Free.

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

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

F E B R U A RY 1 9 - M A R C H 3 , 2 0 2 0

CLASSIFIEDS

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