CityBeat | Feb. 27, 2019 by Chava Communications

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Cincinnati singer/songwriter Kim Taylor channels love, loss, faith and years of teachable moments into her new album, Songs of Instruction BY BRIAN BAKER

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LETTERS Space for Ghost Signs?

@Glen_Berry: They’re nice, but it’s sad to see so many ghost signs being painted over. I photograph ghost signs wherever I find them. They’re a charming part of our history, and I want to document as many as I can before they’re all gone.

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Comment posted on Twitter/CityBeatCincy in reply to the Feb. 19 post, “These murals have brought life to spaces across the city that might ordinarily be overlooked, turning them into spectacular works of art.”

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You Ask, We Listen @apsaker: Thanks, @CityBeatCincy for this design adjustment! Now I can enjoy this @nswartsell report without my eyes bleeding. Sincerely, your fan.

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Comment posted on Twitter/CityBeatCincy Feb. 21 after we redesigned our “City Desk” page based on reader feedback.

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Hate Group Chat Graham Crabbe: They’ve always been there, they’re just emboldened with Donald KKK Trump in the White Supremest House. Jacob Selvia: I’ve lived here all my life and sometimes things still happen that (make) me wonder if I’ve been in some close but alternate dimension that occasionally bleeds through. I get how Rod Serling conceived The Twilight Zone in Cincinnati. Anthony Franzen: Until the term “race” and how people are asked what “race” they are and stats are stopped concerning “race,” we will always be a “racist” world. Jeff Hammond: The SPLC is not Southern, and knows nothing about the law. It IS a hate group. Mike Bonzo: Both sides have plenty of crazies. Not just Trumpers. Love not Hate

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Gas Tax for Bridge and Highway Fixes

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Comments posted on Facebook.com/CincinnatiCityBeat in response to the Feb. 20 post, “The Southern Poverty Law Center tracked a record number of hate groups in 2018, including a rising number in Ohio and Kentucky. The number of groups in Indiana declined, however.”

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Joan Kyle: Tax and spend Republi(ca)ns.... welfare for the wealthy and more tax burden on the working class! Kevin Pugh: Huh? Do the working class not use bridges and roads? Do they not BUILD the bridges and roads? Brianna Ahearn: medical marijuana could do that nicely. Steve Germond: Michigan has had medical marijuana for over a decade and the roads are still a disaster, it’s not the magic fix that you think. Drew Abas: Ya’ want nice things...you gotta pay for them. As fuel efficiency increases, less revenue per mile driven is being gathered as less gallons of gas are purchased to drive the same number of miles, which consequently means less gas tax collected per distance driven. It’s that simple, people.

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UPCOMING EVENTS March 27 Best of Cincinnati Celebration

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JUNE 13â€“16, 2019

MANCHESTER, TN

NEWS Can Apple Street Market Survive? Since the neighborhood’s Save-A-Lot closed in 2013, Northsiders have been trying to bring a cooperative grocery store to the community. That effort now faces its biggest challenge yet. BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

The former Save-A-Lot location in Northside, which has been eyed as a potential site for the Apple Street Market. PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL

owner share dues, Barker says. In order to demonstrate that the project still has legs and open up financing opportunities like those presented by the Finance Fund, organizers say, it needs to raise $800,000. “If we could get the money super fast, by like June, we could have an incredible opportunity to get the (NEST) RFP,” Barker says. But that is a steep hill to climb. How difficult would it be to raise the needed money? One-fifth of the project’s current owners would need to loan Apple Street an additional $3,200 to raise the necessary funds that way, organizers say. About 70 to 75 percent of the money raised from owners could be put into escrow, but the rest would not be returnable if the project failed. Hanging over Apple Street, at least in the eyes of some skeptics, are the difficulties of another cooperative project, Clifton Market, a couple miles up the road. That market started out as a community-owned effort, but struggled with sales and debt CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

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So far, the effort has raised about $500,000 — $141,000 in owner shares, another $111,400 in owner loans, $85,000 in grants and donations, $30,000 in loans from institutions and $14,000 in sales. But it has spent $377,000 between June 2014 and January this year on expenses like paying three employees (including $130,000 to a general manager over that time); conducting outreach efforts, a market study and retail planning; paying for design and engineering costs; and paying membership dues to Associated Wholesale Grocers, a major cooperative food wholesaler. The effort has about $120,000 left, most of it in the form of a $100,000 Interact for Health Grant that must be spent purchasing equipment. At this point, the board says, investors would not be able to get their money back if the project ceased. Apple Street Market needs $3 million to become a functioning, brick-and-mortar grocery store. A million dollars of that can come from debt, but another $2 million must come from grants, tax credits or new

moderate-income neighborhoods — while they can be very successful long-term — they need subsidy in the short term.” The loss of funding from the tax credits has potentially toppled another domino. Northside’s community development corporation, Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation, last November received $400,000 from the City of Cincinnati to purchase the former Save-A-Lot at 4145 Apple St. that has been floated as the market’s home since the low-cost grocer pulled out of the building in 2013. The building has been asbestos abated and the market was ready for construction, but now, with its plans in traction, NEST must release a request for proposals (RFP) for other developers interested in the building. NEST’s deal with the city requires that the property be in development for a project that benefits the community within two years of its purchase date. Apple Street could apply for that RFP, but it will need to raise money to build out the former Save-A-Lot, pay employees, stock the store and tackle other expenses.

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espite a reputation as one of Cincinnati’s hippest and most livable neighborhoods, Northside is lacking a fundamental feature: A place to get a bag of oranges, deodorant or some bread. For five years, residents have been pushing hard to establish a cooperative grocery store in the community. But just as it looked like the project was about to become concrete, the effort has hit significant roadblocks with financing, its organizers say, and will need to retool if it is to continue. At a meeting in South Cumminsville, members of the Apple Street Market board told more than 70 of the project’s 1,279 shareholders that a large chunk of the project’s financing has fallen apart just before implementation. In late January, Columbus-based Finance Fund withdrew $900,000 in seed financing from the project because Apple Street had not yet raised enough operating capital. But that was just the start of the bad news. The market this month was supposed to close on New Market Tax Credits worth $1.5 million in financing for development costs. But PNC, the investor in those credits, is withdrawing from many of its 2019 new market projects due to devaluation in the credits caused by tax reforms passed by Congress in 2017. The Cincinnati Development Fund holds the credits. Because of the financing difficulties, CDF must now allocate them to other projects, though Apple Street organizers say CDF could commit future tax credits to the project should it win a new round this year. “We’re in a totally new situation at this moment,” Board President Kristen Barker says. “Losing that tax allocation is a very big deal. Grocery stores in low- to

CITY DESK

Council Gives Key Approval for FC Cincinnati Stadium BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

Cincinnati City Council Feb. 21 voted 7-0 to approve a zoning variance FC Cincinnati needed to move forward with its $250 million soccer stadium in the West End. A last-minute, $1 million “good neighbor” agreement between the team and the Cincinnati Ballet as well as another, smaller agreement between the team and displaced restaurant Just Cookin’ both paved the way for those votes — likely the last council weigh-in needed as stadium construction moves forward. But key players say that vote is just the beginning of the stadium construction process. “There’s no end date when it comes to being a good neighbor,” council member P.G. Sittenfeld said of the agreements. “It’s a permanent mindset, and I look forward to these many valued organizations and individuals continuing to support one another. This is a complex development and these were not easy negotiations; I am proud of the work that was undertaken this week by the many, many stakeholders to get us to a better place.” Though the vote was unanimous — council members Chris Seelbach and Christopher Smitherman were excused — there was plenty of discussion about the city’s policies around development, especially as they relate to low-income people and minority-owned businesses. The Cincinnati Ballet and FC Cincinnati were at odds over the ballet’s location, especially the parking lot to the south of its building. The team owns the property, but the ballet holds a 17-year lease on it. The team wanted to build on the lot, but

the ballet objected, also raising concerns about noise and other issues from the stadium. Just 45 minutes before council met, the two announced they had reached a deal. Part of that 17-page agreement stipulates that the team will provide $1 million for noise mitigation should experts attest to that need. If noise mitigation isn’t needed, the ballet could use the money toward building costs for a new location. The team will also provide gates and signage for the ballet’s parking lot. “As of approximately 1:15 p.m. today, the Cincinnati Ballet has signed a good neighbor agreement with FC Cincinnati,” the ballet said in a statement. “This good neighbor agreement protects the integrity of Cincinnati Ballet for the next 17 years should we remain at our current location on the corner of Central Parkway, as the Agreement addresses many of our issues relating to parking, access, noise, operations and others. Should the Ballet ultimately decide to relocate, this agreement helps us to work in good faith with the leadership of FC Cincinnati over the coming weeks to determine a mutually beneficial solution, prior to the approval of FC Cincinnati’s final development plan.” Council also voted 6-1 to approve $75,000 in relocation assistance for Just Cookin’, which stood in the footprint of the coming stadium until late last year. The city money for Williams is part of a larger package. While both the team and restaurant owner Monica Williams declined to discuss a deal between them, the team will reportedly offer $150,000 on

top of an earlier $20,000. That money, designed to help Williams find a new location in the West End, will go into a trust held by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. In the meantime, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority will provide a food truck from which Williams can cook. Williams says she wants to get back to cooking “as soon as possible,” but in the short term will need to A groundbreaking for FC Cincinnati’s West End stadium balance a commitment to a third-shift job at Kroger PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL she found to pay her bills. All but one of her eight employees have found other employment since the Council member Amy Murray voted restaurant closed in late November. against the ordinance, though she The deal ends months of uncertainty for acknowledged it was poised to pass. MurWilliams. ray says she supports Williams, but thinks “I feel hopeful and blessed,” she said after her former landlord, Lighthouse Worship the vote, praising community activists Center, should be the one paying to help and Cincinnati City Council members her relocate and that the city shouldn’t who helped her. “I got kind of worn down be taking money out of its reserve fund. toward the end of the fight, but with so Though he voted for the assistance, Murmany people on my side, I knew we were ray’s fellow Republican council member going to make it. Overall, people wanted Jeff Pastor echoed Murray’s concerns. to help out. I didn’t know Cincinnati is While the team likely won’t need any capable of so much love and support. My more council votes for its stadium design, eyes are wide open.” it must go back before the Cincinnati PlanThough it passed with a veto-proof ning Commission to get approval for the majority, not everyone was thrilled with finalized plans. The team is gunning to get the way the assistance for Williams came the stadium finished before the start of the about. 2021 Major League Soccer season.

DeWine Proposes Big Boost to Gas Tax to Fund Transportation Infrastructure

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed an 18-cent boost to the state’s gas tax to fund maintenance of Ohio’s crumbling roads, bridges and highways — a big jump from the state’s current 28-cent-pergallon tax. If the Ohio General Assembly approves the boost, it would be the first increase in the gas tax in 14 years. What’s more, DeWine wants the tax introduced all at once on July 1. That’s a departure from past state practices — usually an increase is phased in over the course of years.

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BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

The increase would raise roughly $1.2 billion a year in extra funding for the Ohio Department of Transportation to use to maintain the state’s transportation infrastructure.

About $725 million of that would go toward the state’s highways and bridges,

while another $480 million would go to municipalities for road maintenance. That would mean about $6 million extra for the City of Cincinnati, according to ODOT data. If you drive the state average of 13,476 miles a year and get an average of 25 miles to the gallon, you’ll pay an extra $248 a year under the proposed tax increase. DeWine says that the increase is crucial to shoring up the state’s sprawling transportation infrastructure. Though Ohio has the nation’s fourth-largest highway system and the second-most number of bridges, its current gas tax is lower than 28 other states’. Indiana’s tax is currently 43 cents, Michigan’s is 44 cents and Pennsylvania’s is almost 59 cents per gallon. In the region, only Kentucky’s is lower

at 26 cents, but that is because the state also taxes the value of vehicles to help pay for transportation infrastructure. Most of Ohio’s neighboring states have raised their gas taxes since 2014, while Ohio has not had an increase since 2005. On top of that, officials say, general inflation and rising construction costs more specifically have winnowed down the buying power of the taxes. DeWine’s proposal would index the tax to inflation, preventing some of that erosion in the future. Without the needed cash coming in for roads, highways and bridges, ODOT has been financing projects with debt — repayments on which will cost the department $390 million this year. That’s not sustainable into the future, officials say, citing a coming $1 billion shortfall for ODOT.

The tax increase would keep the state from having to borrow $240 million over the next two years, ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks told the Ohio House Finance Committee, and would increase the amount of federal matching grants the state would be eligible for. “You have to have a gas tax increase, there’s no doubt,” DeWine told reporters in Columbus. “The day of reckoning is finally here and we have an obligation to face that.” The General Assembly must approve the tax increase. A number of Republican lawmakers agree with DeWine that the tax is necessary, while some Democrats like Cincinnati’s State. Rep. Brigid Kelly are skeptical, pointing out that sales taxes are regressive and impact low-income residents the most.

CITY DESK

Settlement Likely Reached in Cincinnati City Council Texting Lawsuit

MSD Set to Introduce Rate Discount for Seniors BY S E T H W E B ER

Calls for lower sewer rates from the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) have been going on for years. But community activists say that a new assistance program that MSD is offering is not enough to help low-income users. The Hamilton County Commissioners met with community members at the Board of Elections to reveal their customer assistance program (CAP) for sewer rates: a 20 percent discount for property owners 65 or older who have an income lower than $32,800. Members of South Cumminsville-based Communities United For Action (CUFA) were not impressed. The group says that the discount rate should be the 40 percent suggested in a January 2018 Hamilton County Planning and Development draft of CAP recommendations. “The 40 percent discount is based on Ohio utilities with similar fees and discount rate CAP programs,” the report states. Supporters of the higher percentage say the Cleveland Division of Water offers a 40 percent CAP discount on all standard water charges and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District offers a 40 CAP discount on wastewater and sewer charges. CUFA members also questioned why renters are not included in the CAP and told commissioners that a program for seniors shouldn’t require an annual renewal. “We cannot restrict renters from getting help with their sewer bill, ignoring that most people at the lower level of poverty

are paying rent,” said Roy Davis, CUFA board member and property renter. There are an estimated 783,906 people in MSD’s service area and about 116,512 — or 14 percent — of that base makes less than $35,000 per year, MSD’s provided report says. Of individuals at that income level, about 19,000 — or 2 percent of the base population — are eligible for the program. Diana Christy, interim director of MSD, had anticipated these complaints and began by explaining that seniors are the only group eligible for discount under the Ohio Revised Code. Other county officials have also highlighted that limitation. “If there’s any possibility of us offering to additional populations, for instance lowincome individuals who are not seniors, we need state law to change to allow us to do that,” said County Commission President Denise Driehaus. As a step toward changing the Ohio Revised Code, the county commissioners voted to adopt a resolution calling for the general public and local officials from the mayor and city council to the area’s Ohio General Assembly delegation to craft and advocate “for legislative changes to the Ohio Revised Code that would allow County Sewer Districts to expand their ability to offer expanded customer assistance programs.” The current discount rate and exclusion of renters from the program are not mandated by the revised code, however, and Christy said that was because expanding the program further could cost

MSD too much. “This is a narrow program that we’re proposing today,” she said. “Even at full participation, that is something we can afford without impacting the rest of the community.” Full participation of the 20 percent discount would cost MSD about $1.7 million, while full participation at a 40 percent discount would cost double that at about $3.6 million. Although many had gripes with the proposed plan, no community members thought MSD should refrain from moving forward. “Does anybody disagree with us implementing what we’re allowed to do while we continue to work on everything that we want to do?” said County Commissioner Todd Portune, asking for a show of hands. In a room filled to standing-room only, no hands raised. County commissioners will have to approve a finalized CAP and the rate reduction will be included in the billing systems of entities such as Greater Cincinnati Water Works. It could take several months before MSD begins outreach to customers eligible for discounted rates, officials say. “There is a significant amount of work involved with changing rates, testing those rates in the system before we send out bills, so this is estimated to be a three to six-month process,” MSD interim director Christy said.

The city released group texts between all five members last year. But Miller and Shrive, both involved in conservative group Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, are seeking release of texts between any two or more of the council members, saying they could reveal more evidence of violations of open meetings laws.

SPLC says espouses white nationalist beliefs. The drop in the number of groups in Indiana illustrates how mercurial they can be. In 2017, for example, SPLC listed the Traditionalist Youth Network, a white nationalist group in Paoli, Indiana whose founder Matthew Heimbach has ties to Greater Cincinnati. Heimbach and his Traditionalist Youth Network/Traditionalist Worker Party, founded in 2013, had grown to become a visible force within the white nationalist movement as little as two years ago. However, dramatic infighting last year caused the group to dissolve. CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters’ office reviewed the texts but did not bring an indictment against any council members. Instead, the prosecutor’s office turned the texts over to Ruehlman. The judge could bring a contempt of court charge against Young, who deleted some of the messages he sent. Young’s lawyer, however, has indicated that the texts in question have been recovered and that he does not believe contempt charges will happen.

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The number of groups the SPLC tracked in Indiana dropped last year, going from 30 to 24. Those groups included a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Madison and a group called Exodus/Americanus in Floyd’s Knob that

Hamilton County Judge Robert Ruehlman Feb. 19 called for a March 7 hearing during which the potential settlement of the suit could be discussed with the council members present.

In Ohio, SPLC tracked 36 organizations it says are hate groups in 2018 — up from 31 in 2017 and 35 in 2016. That’s the highest number of groups since 2012, the only other year to have seen so many since 2000. SPLC defines

Cranley wanted Black fired. Black resisted leaving his job. Council had to approve Black’s ouster, and the five members texted among themselves about the issue and other city business during the stalemate.

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The Southern Poverty Law Center this week released its annual “Year in Hate” report, which details the groups it tracked in 2018. That report shows a spike in the number of groups in Ohio and Kentucky, though Indiana saw a decline.

SPLC also tracked more organizations it considers hate groups in Kentucky last year, identifying 13 — an increase from 11 in 2017. Those groups included Union, Kentucky’s Fellowship of God’s Covenant People, which SPLC says believes whites are favored by God; a chapter of the alt-right group Proud Boys in Louisville; and a Nation of Islam chapter there as well.

That lawsuit, brought by conservative activist Mark Miller and his attorney Brian Shrive, seeks the release of texts sent between any combination of Democrats Wendell Young, P.G. Sittenfeld, Chris Seelbach, Greg Landsman and Tamaya Dennard during a standoff between Mayor John Cranley and City Manager Harry Black this past spring.

Ruehlman has indicated that he wants the texts released.

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L a hate group as any group whose ideology denigrates a group of people based on characteristics like skin color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or ethnic identity. White nationalist, anti-LGBTQ, black separatist, ant-Semitic, anti-Muslim and religious fundamentalist groups are all represented in Ohio. Local groups SPLC has identified as hate groups include West Chester Township radical traditionalist Catholic group Christ or Chaos; Cincinnatibased Act for America, which SPLC says is anti-Muslim; and Cincinnati-based black separatist group Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge.

There is a likely deal to settle a lawsuit filed by a private citizen against the City of Cincinnati regarding text messages sent between five Democratic Cincinnati City Council members in likely violation of Ohio’s open meetings laws.

The city has resisted releasing the remaining messages.

Hate on the Rise in Greater Cincinnati, National Group Says The number of hate groups in many parts of the region is rising, according to a prominent civil rights organization.

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

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Overall, however, the number of hate groups nationwide is on the rise, according to the SPLC. The organization counted 1,020 in 2018 — an increase from the 954 groups the year prior, an all-time high for the SPLC, and a 30 percent increase over the past four years. White nationalist groups alone rose from 100 chapters to almost 150 across the country, while black separatist groups also increased from 233 chapters in 2017 to 264 in 2018. The SPLC’s designations can be controversial. This year, the Center for Immigration Studies and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes filed lawsuits against the organization, saying that their inclusion on the SPLC’s lists is defamatory. Last year, the group paid a British activist named Maajid Nawaz a $3.4 million settlement to end a lawsuit after the group called Nawaz an “anti-Muslim extremist.” SPLC has generally defended its designations, saying those who wind up on its lists are extremists. The perpetrators of violent, sometimes deadly acts sometimes share the

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ideologies of the groups SPLC highlights, the organization points out, highlighting the multiple such incidents involving white supremacists that occurred last year alone. One attack suspected of being tied to white supremacist beliefs happened in October, when a white gunman killed two black shoppers at a Kroger in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. That shooting was “racism in action,” the town’s police chief told a congregation of the church that the suspected gunman had tried to enter just before the killings. Security footage shows Gregory Bush attempting to get into the predominantlyblack First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, just outside of Louisville, moments before he arrived at the Kroger and shot a man in the back of the head in the store and a woman in the parking lot. Bush, who may have a history of mental illness, reportedly told a bystander that he wouldn’t shoot him because “whites don’t shoot whites” before he got in a vehicle and left. The incident was just one of a number of deadly, racial or ethnically-motivated attacks across the country.

and was eventually sold to a private owner earlier this year. Apple Street boosters have argued that their sales projections are much more conservative than Clifton Market’s, and that their model is different. The mood at the meeting about Apple Street’s future was glum, but many in attendance felt the project isn’t dead yet. “If you look at this community, it’s doable,” one owner said. “Some folks here could really pull it off.” The market’s bylaws did not allow for a formal vote on whether to continue moving forward with the project — that will come soon, organizers say. But the board did take a number of questions — mostly about fundraising possibilities and next steps — and attempted to feel out the temperature of the owners present. More than 60 green stickers lined a large sheet of paper hung on a wall that read “move forward.” Four owners placed red stickers on another sheet that read “stop.” The diverse neighborhood has seen a wave of new real estate investment and development in the past few years but is still home to a number of low- and moderate-income residents. New and old

residents alike live in a place many say is one of Cincinnati’s food deserts. That, Apple Street boosters say, needs to change. Heather Sturgill, a former Apple Street board member, pledged $100,000 from a retirement fund for the project, saying she wanted to invest in an alternative to large, corporate grocers that could bring living wages and fresh food to an under-served community. The nearest grocery, two miles away in Spring Grove Village, takes a ride on two separate Metro buses for most Northside and South Cumminsville residents. “I know everyone out here is feeling like they’ve been punched in the gut. I know I feel that way,” she said at the meeting, noting that the surrounding areas desperately need a grocery store. “But I think so many people in South Cumminsville and Northside are social-justice oriented. This project, to me, addresses so many social justice issues.” “This is frankly terrifying,” she said of offering her monetary commitment. “But I challenge everyone in this room to do what they can. We’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

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Kim Taylor at Centennial Chapel at Christ Church Cathedral

Cincinnati singer/songwriter Kim Taylor channels love, loss, faith and years of teachable moments into her new album, Songs of Instruction WORDS by BRIAN BAKER PHOTOS by HAILEY BOLLINGER

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Kim Taylor’s song “I Am You” mysteriously became a hit in China over the past couple of years.

im Taylor certainly doesn’t possess the look of an international music star. At least not today. As she’s huddled over a book at a table for one-anda-half at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the gifted Cincinnati singer/songwriter bears the appearance of a graduate student attempting to cram in a couple of chapters before class. Though she might not look like it while hanging out and talking with a local journalist at a hometown bookstore, Taylor — a Florida native who moved to Cincinnati in the mid-1990s — is actually a big star on the other side of the world. Just as she’s started promoting her fifth full-length studio album, Songs of Instruction, she is simultaneously exploring her increasing fame in, of all places, China. It began with “I Am You,” a digital single that Taylor released back in 2008, which was part of the Mike Denneen-produced sessions that resulted in The Greatest Story EP and one of her signature songs, “Days Like This.” “I’ve been shaped by specific songs,” Taylor says. “‘Days Like This’ was a pivotal moment for me, in terms of understanding the kind of songs I felt I was good at writing, and the kind of songs that, if I have any kind of tiny legacy, I want to be known for.”

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Songs of Instruction was released on Feb. 22.

“I Am You” is that kind of song, too. Starting as a co-write intended to support a transgender storyline on the soap opera Days of Our Lives that was abandoned, Taylor took the song to Denneen and recorded it. Like many of Taylor’s songs, “I Am You” scored placements in a variety of TV shows, including Justified and Flashpoint. And, apparently, some old American television programs become latent hits in China. Taylor’s song seems to have struck a resounding chord with the newfound Chinese fanbase of some show, though Taylor says she’s still not completely sure what program led to its success. Or if it even was through a TV show placement at all. “I’ll be frank, I don’t even know the story. We’re still trying to figure out how it happened,” Taylor says with an incredulous laugh. “Over the past four or five years, it’s become a hit. I had no idea. That led to me doing an exclusive deal for my entire catalog with a streaming company in China. People are actually not pirating as much over there because the younger generation loves apps and they want access to apps so they’re subscribing. “So I ended up getting an agency who’s bringing me over to do tours. I’ve done major festivals, and it’s been like a rebirth. It’s been bizarre. The goal now is to put me on these huge festivals and then start getting into clubs. That’s where the longevity is. I’ve been all over China now and I love it. It’s amazing.” The unexpected success came to light in the summer of 2017 when Taylor received an email from the vice president of NetEase, one of China’s largest streaming companies, which inquired about Taylor’s catalog and outlined the company’s services and scope. Taylor was more than a little skeptical. “I deleted it. Working with a company in China? That’s shifty,” she says. “But he emailed me again two months later, and was like, ‘I don’t know if you got my first email but this is what we do…’ So I started researching it and read interviews with him and he was legit, so I called my lawyer and my manager and was like, ‘We should talk about this.’ ” While “I Am You” was definitely the big song that audiences wanted to hear during her tours in the country, Taylor says fans also knew other songs from her catalog. “So it’s genuine that I’m a big Rock star in China,” she jokes.

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SONGS of EXPERIENCE

It might be awhile before Taylor can collect her retire-to-the-Cayman-Islands windfall from her Chinese partners, but while that pot continues to boil, she's ready to bring Songs of Instruction to a wider domestic audience. Like the rest of her quietly impressive catalog, Songs of Instruction is a work of incredible consistency within Taylor's established canon that has resulted from sizable shifts in her professional and personal life, an evocative set of her patented short stories-cloaked-as-Folk/Pop songs, inspired by the ceaseless nature of change and the enormity of irreconcilable loss. Ultimately, as the title hints, Songs of Instruction is a tribute to learning — from other people, through experiences and via the general wisdom one gathers over a lifetime. Many of Taylor's albums have come on the heels of significant gaps where she has, for one reason or another, compartmentalized her musical aspirations for different worthy pursuits. She back-burnered music to devote time to her son Griffin after the release of 2002's So Black, So Bright and leading up to 2006's I Feel Like a Fading Light, then again when she returned to school to work on a science degree prior to 2010's Little Miracle. Before 2014's Love's a Dog, Taylor began pursuing a different (though still musicallyconnected) creative path — acting. She has been cast in a couple of independent films, including a featured role in 2013's I Used to Be Darker. (She more recently played the part of Ken Stringfellow's paramour in Ken, a docudrama about and starring The Posies/ R.E.M./Big Star guitarist, slated for release later this year.) Taylor toured Europe after the release of I Used to Be Darker, in which she plays a singer/songwriter whose marriage to another singer/songwriter (played by Ned Oldham) is unraveling just as their runaway niece arrives looking for a place to stay. The film's profile rose with its well-received premiere at the

Berlin International Film Festival, and director/ co-writer Matthew Porterfield and the movie's distributor came up with an interesting promotional method — have Taylor travel and play music to help spread the word. “We had distribution all through Europe and because the film is so musical, they thought it would be cool to have me go out, more so than Ned, because he doesn’t tour that much,” Taylor says. “So I toured four or five different countries. There would be a screening of the film, I would introduce the film, let the audience watch it and do a Q&A, and then I’d do a concert of my own music. That was a great experience.” After touring on Love’s a Dog, Taylor started an Americana duo project with singer/ songwriter Todd Thibaud called Water and Sand, which released a self-titled debut in 2016; the album’s exclusive European release led to more overseas roadwork. The pairing was successful enough for both participants that they’ve begun work on their sophomore album, with plans to tour in November. “I met Todd a long time ago and we’d always talked about doing something together, but we were booked doing other things,” Taylor says. “Water and Sand is out on a little German label called Blue Rose Records; in Germany, there’s a fascination with Americana.” Taylor and Thibaud don’t typically write together, preferring to bring in songs that each have written and feel would be right for the project. Years ago, Taylor dabbled in cowriting, traveling back and forth between Cincinnati and Nashville to collaborate on songs for other artists’ consideration. She made an important self-discovery in that process. “Maybe 95 percent of the co-writes I did were with people that it was their dream to live in Nashville and be a songwriter in that scene, and I did not relate to that at all,” Taylor says. “It wasn’t bringing me alive, it was depressing me. These were people who were motivated by the game of it, and I didn’t want to be motivated by that kind of competition. “I do love being able to be in a situation where you’re experiencing someone’s totally different way of seeing things, but I knew on a day-to-day grind basis, that was not my passion.”

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Besides music, Kim Taylor has acted in a few independent films in recent years.

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Songs of Instruction is the first project Kim Taylor recorded in Cincinnati since her 2002 debut.

MENTOR APPRECIATION York Roots act Ollabelle — sat at the console and added nuanced electric guitar and a rainbow of instrumentation to her atmospheric material; she and Zhivago played the lion's share of the music on her last three albums. Taylor was able to visit Zhivago in New York just before his passing last year. “He was going through chemo and was doing OK, but they gave him a shot that shut his liver down and he died a week later,” she says. “I was able to fly up there to be with him. I was scared to go up. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years, but Jimi and I talked all the time. He was such an old hold-out from New York, he was an icon of the East Village. Me and Fiona (McBain) from Ollabelle went in and sang 'Across the Universe,' because he was a big Beatles fan.” Though Zhivago didn’t participate in the new album’s sessions, his presence is felt it. According to Taylor, it was unavoidable because she’d learned so much from working with him. “I had been sending him the new songs and he loved it so much, and I found out later that he told a friend of his that he was a little sore because he thought I'd made maybe the best record of my career and he hadn't been involved,” she says. “And that was only because I wanted to take everything I'd learned from him and see what I could do.” Taylor was also devastated by the personal and professional loss of another close friend and mentor, the aforementioned Boston-based producer/musician Mike Denneen, known for his work with Aimee Mann and Fountains of Wayne. Denneen’s wise counsel had guided her through The Greatest Story and had a

huge impact on the way she approached Little Miracle. Denneen succumbed to cancer last summer. “Mike went in for a screening and they found Stage 4 colon cancer,” she says. “Mike had been a real champion of mine, and he loved my voice. He'd say, 'Taylor, you're a machine.' ” When her manager informed her of his dire condition, Taylor made plans to work with Denneen one more time on a song (not included on Instruction) that had a feel similar to “I Am You,” that pivotal track she’d made with the producer a decade prior. “I tracked with him last February; it was the last session he did. He was just magical,” Taylor says. “We did everything in 12 hours, brought in a drummer and guitar player. He was able to comp all my vocals and take the best parts — that's how he worked.” Taylor says she plans to release her final collaboration with Denneen — titled “Holy Waters” — this fall as a single.

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When Taylor finally began work on Songs of Instruction in 2017, it was clear that it would be a different album for her on several significant fronts. Perhaps most importantly, the new album would represent her first recordings done in Cincinnati since her 2002 debut, So Black, So Bright. Tracking for the new album was done at St. Luke's Episcopal Church and at Ultrasuede Studio, with Taylor's sessions among the final work done at John Curley's venerable longtime space in Camp Washington before its 2018 closing. “My son Griffin graduated (from high school) in the spring of 2017, so I had a lot more time to write,” she says. “I really started capturing thoughts and putting together ideas. At the end of 2017, I started recording some sessions at Ultrasuede. I had decided, for the first time since my debut record, to make a record here in Cincinnati.” The Ultrasuede sessions presented an unusual challenge. “I booked sessions for the day, not realizing the business next door used a circular saw all day long,” Taylor says. “I'd be singing and putting my heart into it, and I'd hear 'nnnnnnnn' and I'd be like, 'Fuck. Well, I was feeling that but I'm not feeling it now.' That's when I realized the Rock bands booked at night because they knew this. I was doing sweet vocal takes with buzzsaws in the background. If you listen close enough, I'm sure you'll hear buzzsaw. But it was all good, it worked out.” The recording of the PledgeMusic-funded Songs of Instruction also marked Taylor's debut as a co-producer, working the board alongside Justin Golden, half of husband-and-wife band Ellery and longtime sound tech for Cincinnati music legends Over the Rhine, whom Taylor has recorded with and opened for since nearly the beginning of her career. It would also be the first time since So Black, So Bright that someone other than her friend and mentor Jimi Zhivago — whom she met when she opened for his former band, New

NEW LIFE VIEWS “

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... I definitely was a firm believer that pursuing my own art was part of me being a good mom.”

Prophetically, Taylor began reflecting on the big issues that permeate Songs of Instruction long before the deeply felt losses of Zhivago and Denneen. It began with her son's graduation and the duality of emotions inspired by it — joy at the dawn of his adult journey and sadness at the empty nest she and her husband would inhabit after his departure. It all became grist for Taylor's mill. “I think the main things I was chewing on for Songs of Instruction were beginnings and endings,” Taylor says. “My son, coming to the end of his high school years and moving on to a new stage of his life, was a part of that, and it was the same for me, realizing that the kind of mother I'd been for 17 years was going to transition. I was not the mother who was waiting and put her dreams to the side while her son was growing up. Not that I wasn't a good mom, but I definitely was a firm believer that pursuing my own art was part of me being a good mom. There were moments when I'd go on a two-week tour and leave him behind crying that I felt like the worst mother in the world, but I knew it would all shake out in the long run. “But just having his presence around all the time, I fed off him emotionally — he's a super creative kid, he's a game design student — and he kept me feeling, 'Yeah, that's the way you should do things, just get in there and do it.' And not having that around and worrying about him, it was all part of it.” Around the same time, Taylor was also revisiting her childhood in a fundamentalist Christian household, and her suppressed and conflicted feelings about that period in her life. She felt a need to reconcile those emotions and come to terms with that version of her faith. “I was trying to take back some of those things and own it the way I need to own some of that imagery and some of those words,” Taylor says. “There's a song called ‘Raise Me From the Dead,’ that's all about playing with the idea of rebirth and coming out of a tomb and resurrection and applying that to my life on a daily basis.”

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One other loss that Taylor experienced last year found its way into Songs of Instruction. The album's lead track, “All My Happiness,” is dedicated to renowned science fiction/fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the genre's towering talents who passed away last January at the age of 88. As both a fan and teacher of Le Guin's work, Taylor was compelled to memorialize her literary hero. “It was inspired by an Ursula K. Le Guin story called 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,'” Taylor says of “All My Happiness.” “I teach short stories to high schoolers in a co-op program, and I read that story four or five years ago and I have (the kids) read that every year. It's one of my favorite short stories of all time; it's such an epic story.” It's hardly surprising that Taylor is drawn to epic stories. In her own quietly unassuming way, she's been living an epic story, for the past five years… and for her entire life. A big-topic singer/songwriter with a mesmerizing stage presence who can command a headlining spotlight or sublimate herself into a supporting role. An actress of considerable skill and depth who is just beginning to explore the possibilities of that creative well. A mother, a writer, a teacher, a one-time coffee shop owner (the former Pleasant Perk in Pleasant Ridge) with a brilliant new album who's now a star in China. Taylor could be the heroine in an Ursula K. Le Guin work, and if anyone's making an indie film about the late novelist, she could play Le Guin herself. Perhaps that's the prime directive of Songs of Instruction; Kim Taylor has done, and will continue to do, just about everything. For more on Kim Taylor and her new album, visit kim-taylor.net.

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The death of sci-fi/fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin and her son’s graduation from high school were among the inspirations behind Kim Taylor’s new album.

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STUFF TO DO Ongoing Shows ONSTAGE: The Last Wide Open Playhouse in the Park, Mount Adams (through March 10)

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MUSIC: Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour stops at the U.S. Bank Arena. See Sound Advice on page 42.

ONSTAGE: Know Theatre’s Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner is a premiere about pie and the apocalypse. See review on page 30. ONSTAGE: Broadway in Cincinnati’s run of hit musical Hamilton continues at the Aronoff Center. See review on page 31.

THURSDAY 28

MUSIC: The Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman brings his acoustic singer/ songwriter act to Ludlow Garage. See Sound Advice on page 43.

FRIDAY 01

where the prize is more beer. Even more beer and unique historic brewery and cellar tours are offered throughout the weekend. Once night falls on Saturday, watch in awe as the prestigious (gender-neutral) sausage queen competition determines the most talented diva who looks good holding a sausage after the (equally genderneutral) beard baron contest. Sunday winds down the festivities with kid-friendly games and goat yoga for a more family-friendly atmosphere, but don’t worry, there’s still a bloody mary bar for the parents. For a full schedule of events, visit bockfest.com. — TOMMY MCDONALD COMEDY: Lil Rel “I’ve always been funny,” says Lil Rel, “but it’s one of those things where my family was hilarious, and then my friends were all hilarious.

Was I the funniest one? No, but there were a lot of laughs because everyone had these funny jokes. I think I’m more a combination of all of my family and friends, all the people I grew up with.” Rel credits his hometown of Chicago and that city’s unique comedy scene with shaping his comedic voice. “Midwest comics have to be diverse,” he says. “No disrespect, but sometimes New York comics start to sound alike. In Chicago we try very hard not to sound like each other.” The city’s fondness for improv also helps. “I like to get up and do characters and act out stories, and comics that move here get better at that.” 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. $25-$35. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty. funnybone.com. — P.F. WILSON

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EVENT: Cincinnati Color Ball The 10th-annual Cincinnati Color Ball, hosted by the Human Rights Campaign at the Hyatt Regency, is a celebration of inspiration for people of the LGBTQ community and allies, family and friends. Tickets include a cocktail reception, silent auction, elegant dinner, speakers and live entertainment. Upgrade to a premium ticket, which includes a VIP wristband, for eight top-shelf drink options and access to the VIP reception. The Human Rights Campaign is a national advocacy organization that works to achieve equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans via education, research and political work. 6-10 p.m. Saturday. $200 general admission; $150 Federal Club; $100 Federal Club Council; $125

student; $300 premium/VIP. Hyatt Regency, 151 W. Fifth St., Downtown, hrccincinnati.org. — BEN REES ART: Start Over Tomorrow While There’s Still Time at Wave Pool The doodle is, perhaps, the most universal art form. Even the least creative of us has spent preoccupied time scribbling nonsense in the margins of notebooks, or at least been forced to play Pictionary. Wave Pool contemporary art fulfillment center will soon showcase an exhibition celebrating modern artists’ uses of ink on paper to embrace wit and absurdity as a means to cope with the whirlwind of chaos that is American life in 2019 via Start Over Tomorrow While There’s Still Time. Less concerned with calligraphy than emotional resonance, this curation CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

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man, woman and child to consume 40 gallons a year — more than double the national average at the time. Needless to say, the Queen City has a storied history of drunken debauchery that extends to this day and Bockfest, America’s oldest German Bock-style beer festival, promises to perfectly capture our boisterously inebriated spirits this weekend for the 27th year. Bock beers are typically dark amber lagers with heavy notes of malt and ABV levels comparable to IPAs, but without the bitterness. To celebrate this age-old elixir, the weekend begins with a parade from Arnold’s Bar & Grill to the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom event center (aka Bockfest Hall) where a ceremonial blessing of a keg kicks off the party. If you’re a real trooper, there’s a 10 a.m. 5k on Saturday

EVENT: Bockfest In the late 19th century, Cincinnati was the country’s third-largest beer producer and the citizens drank enough beer for every

PHOTO: PROVIDED

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ONSTAGE: The Winter’s Tale “A sad tale’s best for winter.” Cincinnati Shakespeare Company brings an old tale of jealousy and redemption to life with The Winter’s Tale. King Leontes of Sicilia has it in his head that his wife, Hermione, is having an affair. So he unleashes a wrath upon her and their child and banishes them into the woods. Come watch as the story unfolds and see the aftermath of the king’s decision. Through March 23. $57 adult; $53 senior; $31 student. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com. — KIARA REECE

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surveys the current state of eccentric line drawings and quirky texts from artists like San Francisco’s Kyle Knobel and current DAAP student Macartney Greer. Interactive community events including record listening parties and portrait-drawing sessions will follow throughout the exhibit’s run. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday. On display through April 6. Free admission. Wave Pool, 2940 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, wavepoolgallery.org. — TOMMY MCDONALD EVENT: Bockfest Goat Rodeo As this weekend’s Bockfest celebration ties Zinzinnati’s German roots together with a festival of Bock beer and spring, so continues the tradition of the Bockfest Goat Rodeo. Queen City Exchange is hosting this rodeo, aka a scavenger hunt through OTR that hits all the best places to celebrate Bockfest weekend including Taft’s Brewing Company, Tokyo Kitty, Below Zero, The Phoenix and more. Don’t think this is all fun and games: the winning team of the scavenger hunt gets some cool gear from Taft’s. Six people max per team; for ages 21 and up. 1-6 p.m. Free admission. Leaves from Queen City Exchange, 32 W. Court St., Downtown, queencityexchange.com. — KIARA REECE

EVENT: MainStrasse Mardi Gras Let’s be real: We all can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but Covington may be the next best thing. Get those purple, gold and green beads ready and pull out the masks because Mardi Gras is coming to us. Take a journey through MainStrasse Village bars or get your dancing shoes on to parade through the street. Meet on the island at the Goose Girl Fountain for a Big Head Parade — a Mardi Gras tradition where people actually wear large papiermâché full-head party masks — then check out live music from Nick Denham on Sax, Red Hot Dancing Queens and Blues Brothers before a pub crawl (with drink specials) starting at 8:30 p.m. Laissez les bons temps rouler! 6 p.m.-midnight Saturday. Free admission. Main Street, Covington, facebook. com/mainstrassevillage. — KIARA REECE EVENT: Dr. Morgan’s Hangover Relief Tour Mike Morgan, author, historian, beer expert

ART: Paris 1900: City of Entertainment The Cincinnati Art Museum is showing an exhibition of works from Paris at the start of the 20th century. Paris 1900: City of Entertainment displays over 200 pieces to celebrate Parisian culture. The exhibition — organized by the Petit Palais Museum of Fine Arts — includes paintings, sculpture, posters, fashion, furniture and souvenirs from notable artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Camille Claudel. The museum’s website also has a listing of French-themed food, music and nightlife in Cincinnati to continue to Parisian experience after leaving the exhibition. Through May 12. $12 adults; $6 seniors/college students/ children 6-17; free members and children 5 and under. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. — BEN REES

and president of Queen City History & Education, takes to the streets to lead interested and likely hungover humans on a walking tour of Over-theRhine during his Bockfestonly Dr. Morgan’s Hangover Relief Tour series. This educational jaunt includes information about OTR’s pre-Prohibition past, its recent brewing rebirth and the history of Bockfest. Go

TUESDAY 05

inside Washington Platform’s underground lagering tunnels, into some of the former SchallerGerke Brewery cellars (four stories underground) and then enjoy a cold Bock beer with Morgan. The tour promises “OTR history that you can’t get anywhere else, two lagering cellars, one beer and questionable wisdom” including homeopathic hangover cures. Warning: These tours sell out. Noon and 2 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $20. Tours meet at Washington Platform, 1000 Elm St., Downtown. Buy tickets at bockfesttours.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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MUSIC: Living Hour brings their cinematic and dreamy heartsick synth Pop to MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice on page 43.

EVENT: Mardi Gras For Homeless Children Fat Tuesday is a celebration of indulgences before the fasting of Lent, but it can also be an opportunity for the privileged to give back to those less fortunate. Mercedes Benz of Fort Mitchell and the Northern Kentucky Restaurant Association are presenting the 28th-annual Mardi Gras for Homeless Children, complete with a parade. Let the good times roll with over 50 food and beverage booths giving you a plethora of tasty morsels to try and vivacious cocktails to liven up the night, all for a worthy cause; the three charities the night benefits serve more than 40,000 needy individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area each year. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. $70. Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington, facebook. com/mardigrasforhomelesschildren. — TOMMY MCDONALD

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MUSIC: Zo! + Carmen Rodgers Soul singer Carmen Rodgers and keyboardist/producer Lorenzo Ferguson — better known as Zo! — have had extensive, long-running solo careers, but each are also chronic collaborators. The pair’s most notable crossover point is The Foreign Exchange, a project from Indie Hip Hop hero Phonte and Dutch producer Nicolay, which both Zo! and Rodgers have recorded and performed with over the years. A Detroit native, Zo! has released several instrumental and guest-vocalist-laden albums, and he’s also known for soundtrack work, including on the Adult Swim series Black Dynamite. Rodgers, a Texas native based in Atlanta, has also done numerous sessions and collaborations, releasing three solo albums so far, including her most recent Stargazer full-length. Though Rodgers and Zo! perform their solo R&B and Funk songs live with full bands, their tours together break things down to just vocals and keys. The duo’s Cincinnati show this weekend is hosted by local author/spoken word artist TruFiyah and will be preceded by a 7 p.m. “social hour” with a free appetizer buffet. 8 p.m. Saturday. $18; $20 day of show. The Greenwich, 2442 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, the-greenwich. com. — MIKE BREEN

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EVENT: Braxton’s Fat Tuesday Crawfish Boil No one in Cincinnati needs to travel to New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday because Braxton Brewing Company is hosting a traditional Mardi Gras celebration. A special crawfish dinner will be available from Rich’s Proper Food & Drink and the New Orleans-style party band The Hot Magnolias will play live music. The crawfish boil is $10 for a half-pound plate, complete with a slice of King Cake — if you find the baby in the cake, you get a prize. Food is first come, first served so come early and “Lift One To Life” at the Braxton taproom. 5-10 p.m. Tuesday. Free admission. Braxton Brewing Company, 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, facebook.com/ braxtonbrewingcompany. — BEN REES

League o f Women

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LECTURE: “Tsunami: The Tidal Wave as Introduced by Lafcadio Hearn and Others” celebrates the 150th anniversary of eccentric journalist Hearn’s arrival in the U.S. See feature on page 29.

PHOTO: PROVIDED

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ARTS & CULTURE Lafcadio Hearn: A Voice Shaped by Cincinnati Local groups are celebrating the legacy of this eccentric writer and immigrant, who settled briefly in Cincinnati 150 years ago BY K AT I E G R I FFI T H

Lafcadio Hearn COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC LIBR ARY OF C I N C I N N AT I A N D H A M I LT O N C O U N T Y

Hearn was said to be a stubborn man who fought for his words and was known to argue for fair pay and the inclusion of Japanese terms in his stories. Umemoto will talk specifically about the latter at the March 5 event — honing in specifically on the word “tsunami” and the debate about crediting Hearn for introducing it to the English language. When the infamous earthquake of 1896 devastated Japan, Hearn wrote of the event and the tsunamis it caused. “A Living God,” published in the Atlantic Monthly, was about a man who sacrificed his harvests to save lives; Japanese writer Tsunezo Nakai later adapted Hearn’s story into a popular children’s book titled Inamura no Hi. “It is not too much to say that thanks to Hearn, we Japanese had a chance to know ourselves,” Umemoto says. The 150-year anniversary celebration continues after the March 5 event with a tour of places Hearn wrote about or visited, to be conducted by Kemme on June 29. Kemme and JRCGC president Eith are also awaiting funds to erect a memorial to honor Hearn and will release more information about upcoming events as they arise. The Mercantile Library will host a reception and lecture by Professor Junko Umemoto of Nihon University, “Tsunami: The Tidal Wave as Introduced by Lafcadio Hearn and Others,” on March 5. More info: jrcgc.com.

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folklore, which he interpreted from a language he barely understood (Japanese) and rendered the stories his own. His most popular book of such tales is Kwaidan, which means ghost story. Kwaidan, like Hearn, is famous abroad but somehow is rarely noted among us — despite launching his career here. “I think it’s important for Americans to learn from other cultures,” Kemme says. “There’s such a strong tie between Japan and the United States commercially, especially, but there’s a lot for both sides to learn from each other from a cultural standpoint. Hearn was generations ahead of his time, he was one of the earlier writers to write about the Japanese culture and one of the first Western writers to go and live in Japan and write about what he saw there.” He was a curious figure abroad, Kemme says, as he traveled to places where the Japanese had likely never seen a Westerner. One of his most curious and daring decisions, though, was in Cincinnati when Hearn took on the assignment of joining a steeple climber. Atop St. Peter in Chains Cathedral Hearn describes the gradual passing of fear after climbing nearly 250 feet above the city. “In every direction, the city lays out in regular squares like an elaborate map,” he wrote. “For three or four blocks … the centers of the thoroughfares were distinctly visible, with wagon-teams, buggies and carriages straggling along, apparently no larger than flies.”

the details so finely that they became unforgettable. And at the start of it all was The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Cincinnati Commercial. “He wrote about many aspects of Cincinnati that other journalists at that time ignored,” says Steve Kemme, president of the Lafcadio Hearn Society/ USA. “He was one of the first ones to write seriously and with respect about AfricanAmericans in Cincinnati,” which Kemme notes that, in his opinion, was some of Hearn’s best work while in the Queen City. “He was one of the best writers at (The Enquirer),” he continues. “He had a literary style that was unusual for a daily reporter, very descriptive. He used dialogue and inserted himself sometimes, which prefigured what became the new journalism of the 1960s and ’70s.” In one Cincinnati Commercial article, written in 1876 — titled “Some Pictures of Poverty” — about apartments on West Seventh Street, Hearn animates the slums carefully: “It came in the form of a grisly and spectral vision — deformed stairways; with interminable suites of crooked rooms, having sloping floors and curving walls; with crazy stoves and heavy smells; with long rags and ragged gowns haunting the pale walls like phantom visitors or elfish mockeries of the dead; and all the chambers haunted by sharp shadows and sharp faces that made them piteous with the bitterness of withered hopes, or weird by fearful waiting for the coming of the dreamless slumber, as a great Shadow, which silently falling over lesser darknessess, absorbs them into Itself.” He was especially interested in profiling everyday people but was also keen on the crime beat and spared no details in the wake of gruesome murders and even public hangings. “Violent Cremation,” a story about a murder that ran in The Enquirer in November 1874 recites what Hearn saw at the coroner’s office: “Masses of crumbling human bones, strung together by half-burnt sinews, or glued one upon another by a hideous adhesion of half-molten flesh, boiled brains and jellied blood mingled with coal.” On the lighter, yet still eccentric side of Hearn’s varied interests was Japanese

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n immigrant train bound inland made its way from New York City to Cincinnati some hundred years ago. On it rode 19-year-old Lafcadio Hearn, a writer and orphan who was well read and built of curiosity; currently, the debate over his exact arrival date in Cincinnati is being passionately investigated. Leading the search are the Lafcadio Hearn Society/USA and the Japan Research Center of Greater Cincinnati, who conducted a contest for the date’s reveal but were left with a six-month discontinuity. The answer lies somewhere between Hearn’s September 1869 arrival in NYC and his definite presence in Cincinnati in March of 1870, according to Gary Eith, JRCGC president. But why should this matter to modernday Cincinnatians? A March 5 event at The Mercantile Library will pinpoint these reasons while celebrating the 150-year anniversary of Hearn’s arrival in the U.S. The JRCGC and Lafcadio Hearn Society/USA are co-hosting the celebration and lecture, along with a slew of events throughout the year. While Hearn was most well-known for his books about Japan, Cincinnati is where his career began. The Mercantile event is devoted to equalizing his fame here in Cincinnati. Keynote speaker Junko Umemoto, Ph.D., a Hearn expert and professor at Nihon University in Japan, will highlight Hearn’s literary pilgrimage and work. “Hearn’s life in Cincinnati decided his way to be a writer,” Umemoto says in an email. “Without his training in Cincinnati (reading and writing), he would not be a writer.” Hearn was born in 1850 in Lefkada, Greece but grew up in Dublin, Ireland. He was educated there and briefly in England and France before immigrating to the U.S., where he made his own way in Cincinnati, working menial jobs and contributing to newspapers without pay until he landed official staff writing positions. He spent a considerable amount of time translating French works and even went on to publish a weekly independent journal, Ye Giglampz, which was devoted to art, literature and satire. He told mundane stories and nurtured

AN EVENING WITH VIC DIBITETTO Friday, May 10 at 8:00 PM | One Show Only! | Memorial Hall Come spend the night with one of the most sought after comedians in the country! Vic currently stars in the nationally touring The Three Tenors (who can’t sing), was featured in Mall Cop 2, is headlining theaters from Miami to Boston and New York to Las Vegas and has been viewed over 100 million times online! VIP ticket holders will be able to Meet & Greet Vic after the show!! Come see what everyone is talking about… come see The Italian Hurricane!!

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L I M I T E D T I C K E TS R E M A I N I N G ! FO R T I C K E TS V I S I T: W W W. M e m o r i a l H a l l OT R .CO M

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ONSTAGE

Come for the Pie, Stay for the Apocalypse R E V I E W BY H A R PER L EE

Know Theatre’s world premiere of Darcy Parker Bruce’s Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner is the theater’s fifth installment in its season-long examination of fear. Though sprinkled with charming moments and held together by a capable cast, the production struggles to overcome a confused, albeit creative, script. As the lone establishment in a desolate stretch of Arizona desert, the Starlight All Night Diner is a classic, cozy 24-hour oasis whose staff serves coffee and pie to whoever, whenever. When the play opens, third-shifters Jessa (a waitress played by Leah Strasser) and Sam (a janitor played by Lormarev Jones) are passing the long night in their usual way: casually chatting as they brew coffee and sneak slivers of pie. Each keep strategic secrets: Jessa’s feet are killing her while Sam isn’t relishing another night’s sleep in her truck. But both appreciate the camaraderie they have found in each other and the refuge they have found in the diner. Sam steadfastly polishes the already gleaming countertop as Jessa frets aloud about her deadbeat boyfriend, her new baby and her future when regulars Dr. Franklin Moxie (played by Michael Burnham) and his sidekick/assistant Danni (played by Maggie Cramer) burst into the diner demanding to hear the nightly news. A glorious comet, says the radio, is lighting up the peaceful night sky, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a midnight picnic with family. But the eccentric Dr. Moxie and frazzled Danni are keen to the truth. The harmless comet is actually a killer asteroid rocketing toward Earth on a collision course sure to be utterly catastrophic. Luckily, Danni and the doctor have a plan. Instead of waiting around for deep impact, the two hotwire the diner and transform it into a DIY time machine that carries the foursome backward in time. They find themselves deep in the past and far from impending doom. Despite the sky-high stakes, the play is unable to generate sufficient dramatic tension to fully energize the production and the action. Though it has highly imaginative and very fun moments, the story falls unfortunately flat. Infused with themes of love, family, friendship, community and home, the central message comes through loud and clear: These human essentials are chosen, not predetermined, and they present themselves when you least expect them. The script’s beauty and good intentions are undermined not by the zany premise, but by the haphazard sequence of events that unfold in the play’s second half. The characters are ill prepared for their journey, having given precious little thought to what life might be like without electricity or modern medicine. The audience should relish the quietly unfolding relationships and journeys of self-discovery catalyzed by

a great adventure, but much of the wonder is drowned out by incredulous shock: How could anyone think such a journey would be easy? Strasser’s performance as the beat-down but bright-eyed Jessa is warm and laced with sass, which pairs nicely with Jones’ steady presence and loving calm. Each character is hemmed in by what they feel they can’t say, with each actor leaning into their character’s vulnerabilities. Gradually, that process allows their uncertainties to guide them toward one another. Burnham’s Dr. Moxie is the quintessential brilliant — but completely mad — scientist, while Cramer’s Danni is equally brilliant but unsure of herself. Together, the pair conjures happy memories of Back to the Future’s Doc Brown and Marty McFly.

The cast of Always Plenty of Light PHOTO: DAN R. WINTERS

Noelle Johnston’s costuming has a retro vibe that adds a layer of texture to the show’s appearance. Strasser’s pink waitress uniform and saddle shoes are reminiscent of a 1950s soda shop; and Cramer’s ball cap and fanny pack feel like a subtle homage to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Set against Andrew Hungerford’s shadowy but sparkling set, the show’s color palette becomes soft and luminous, evoking starry skies and moonlight. Director Alice Flanders unites the production elements while staying true to the play’s central ideas of family and companionship. For Jessa, Sam, Danni and Dr. Moxie, the diner is home and they are family. No matter where or when the diner exists, it remains the show’s centerpiece. Though at times dismaying, the Know Theatre’s production of Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner succeeds in being quirky and dreamy. A trippy journey through space and time raises the questions: What is scarier — being lost in the past? Or confronting the future? Know Theatre’s Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner runs through March 16. Tickets and more info: knowtheatre.com.

ONSTAGE

Cincinnati ‘Hamilton’ on Par with Broadway R E V I E W BY R I C K PEN D ER

CRITIC’S PICK

OF Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Book by Peter Parnell Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film

Originally Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions Parental discretion advised.

MARCH 7-10, 2019 CORBETT AUDITORIUM

From the Oscar -winning team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz comes a lush retelling of Victor Hugo’s epic story of love, acceptance, and what it means to be a hero.

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THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTShows.com

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The pervasive, infectious, highenergy numbers that fuel Hamilton provide plenty of lines that aptly describe this phenomenal show. Let’s start with “The Story of Tonight” being in the “Room Where It Happens.” That’s the Aronoff’s Procter & Gamble Hall, where the rough-hewn set — ropes, wood beams, stone arches, stairways — fills the stage. It’s lit by hundreds of lights overhead and along the auditorium walls. For Hamilton’s three-week engagement in Cincinnati, that “room” will be jam-packed. Very few seats remain for some The national touring company of Hamilton performances if you’re willing to pay the price; you can also PHOTO: JOAN MARCUS take a chance on the daily lottery. But thousands of area theater fans will be there, witnessing the fact that Laurens and later as Hamilton’s eager-tohistory is happening. During intermission, please, sweet-voiced son Philip, who dies I overheard at least a half-dozen in a duel defending his father’s honor. conversations about American history, “The Schuyler Sisters” — Eliza (Hannah with the reoccurring theme of “I didn’t Cruz), Angelica (Stephanie Umoh) and know that!” That’s one of the wonders of Peggy (Isa Briones) — are neither “Helpless” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s miraculous show. nor entirely “Satisfied.” But they have the The action of Hamilton, like its title most beautifully harmonic vocal numbers character, Alexander Hamilton (and in the show. Briones brings a sultry alto to another song), is “Non-Stop.” The her second role as Maria Reynolds, whose two-dozen actors/singers/dancers are extramarital affair with Hamilton is his constantly in motion, thanks to the downfall. incredibly inventive choreography of Tony As the Revolutionary War general Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehler, who and eventual first President George happens to be a Cincinnati native and a Washington, Paul Oakley Stovall has graduate of St. Xavier High School. the imperiously commanding presence Because Miranda envisioned this story that makes having “Washington on Your about America’s founders to be told by a Side” completely convincing. His efforts highly diverse cast (“Immigrants,” point to mentor and shape the willful Hamilton out Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayand to offer advice “One Last Time” are ette. “We get the job done.”), the moveheartfelt moments in the story. ments range from Hip Hop to Broadway Humor is delivered by Peter Matthew choreography and from waltzes to gymSmith as arrogant King George, who nastics. In one scene, Hamilton recalls a blithely observes that “You’ll Be Back” “Hurricane” on the Caribbean island where from his throne in England — and inviting he was born. In slow motion and pale the audience to sing along with his blue light, cast members swirl about with taunting remarks. When he does return, furniture and boards, as if whipped by the he provides Hamilton’s best moments of wind. Every moment of the storytelling is comic relief. punctuated by actors posing and gesturing This touring production of Hamilton is to underscore the words spoken. no modest knock-off of the Broadway This touring production has an incredoriginal. The top-notch talent and ible cast. Edred Utomi does not miss his production values are on par with the shot, making the role of Hamilton uniquely show’s New York staging. The performers’ his own — argumentative, frenetic, brilpassionate commitment to the material liant and uncompromising — and not tryis obvious. Performances are supported ing to recreate Miranda’s own Broadway by a 13-musician orchestra with six performance. Utomi is contrasted with string players, as well as a drummer and Josh Tower’s cautious, scheming Aaron a percussionist who maintain the score’s Burr, always opting to “Wait for It,” until throbbing pulse and infectious rhythms. the opportunity is already gone. Bryson On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d give this one a Bruce plays the eager Lafayette (Act One) 10 — the rare production that can “Blow Us and confident Thomas Jefferson (Act Two); All Away.” both are likable bounders, even when Hamilton, presented by Broadway in Jefferson profoundly disagrees about the Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center, continues Constitution with Hamilton. Jon Viktor through March 10. More info: Corpuz ably fills two roles, initially as a cincinnatiarts.org. go-getter Revolutionary supporter John

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May 23

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FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT CITYBEAT.COM

‘Resynator’ Doc Unravels a Musical Mystery BY S E A N M . PE T ER S

Alison Tavel began her documentary them — I thought maybe people can relate Resynator, which is named after a syntheto this story because families are (messed) sizer invented in 1979 by her late father, up and so is mine,” Alison says. “Mine’s no Don Tavel, just to chronicle its restoration. different and that’s OK.” “I realized as I was filming that this is Though the documentary is still in not the story about the resurrection of a production, she has a goal to have it in synthesizer,” Alison says. “This is the story film festivals by 2021. Recently, she began about me connecting with my dad.” a funding campaign through Kickstarter. A native of Loveland, Ohio, the now Los (At publication, the campaign had raised Angeles-based filmmaker’s father died in more than $27,600 of its $30,000 goal.) a car crash 10 weeks after Alison was born “For the past four years I have raised in 1988. Without her father alive to confirm donations privately, but I’ve put in about or deny the stories she heard about him $120k myself,” she says. “Every inch of my growing up, she was left with confusing contradictions. “A tall tale I heard was that my dad invented the synthesizer, but as I grew up, I realized that’s not true,” she says. “He did invent a synthesizer, but he’s not the inventor of the synth.” That title is credited to Robert Moog. But the intrigue of her father’s mysterious invention eventually drove her to investigate. In 2014, Alison, the longtime personal assistant and tour manager for musician Grace Potter, took a break from work to root through her grandmother’s Alison Tavel holding the resurrected Resynator attic in Indianapolis. “When I was first looking for PHOTO: PROVIDED the Resynator, I was looking for a keyboard because I thought synths were keyboards. I didn’t know what savings and life on tour with Grace has to do with it,” Alison says. “I ended up in gone toward this project. I just came to the attic with one full unit and enough a point where in the last film shoot I had spare parts to build almost four. I have where I was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ schematics for everything, a handful Everybody tells me to use other people’s of notes and a letter talking about mass money, but this project wouldn’t have production.” happened if I was waiting around for other From there, she joined forces with people’s money.” Mike Beigel, the engineer who built the So Alison brought the project as far as Resynator with her dad. Together, they possible using her own funds. restored the original synth — which is “Kickstarter, as far as I know, is the thought to be the world’s first digital only platform that’s an all-or-nothing instrument-controlled synthesizer. Don campaign,” she says. “If I don’t raise X invented the Resynator in 1979, with amount of dollars, I don’t get it. It’s the prototypes dating back to 1974. riskiest, but hopefully that means it’ll yield Though the device never hit major the best reward.” markets, the monophonic synthesizer had Filmmaking is a precarious venture, pitch tracking capabilities well ahead of but this documentary represents far more its time, which led to private sales to highto Alison than a financial interest. She profile musicians like Peter Gabriel and describes a feeling of responsibility in Yes frontman Jon Anderson. continuing her father’s work. After she had an original unit running, “There were many reasons he didn’t Alison documented her various efforts to finish the Resynator, which I get into in learn more about her father’s machine. In the documentary. I haven’t figured out the process, she found some big names exactly why he halted production, but have in the music and entertainment industry a pretty good idea,” she says. “I’m not an to demo her dad’s invention including inventor, musician and computer genius Gotye, Gavin Russom of LCD Soundsystem, like my dad, but I have the same drive and comedian/musician Fred Armisen and the motivation. aforementioned Gabriel. “Maybe Don’s up there playing puppets But Resynator is not a film about and leading me down a path that he synths — it’s the story of a father-daughter wanted to go.” relationship (or lack thereof). For more info on Resynator, visit “I found that a lot of the issues that were resynator.com. coming up — the way I was handling

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‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Finds an Epic End BY T T S T ER N - EN ZI

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The How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is truly mythic and one for the ages. Introduced in 2010, the series’ protagonist, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), was a typical would-be comic figure. A young Viking from a clan of dragon hunters, he encounters his match among the dragons — whom Toothless and Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon he dubs Toothless — and the pair P H O T O : D R E A M W O R K S A N I M AT I O N shift the known paradigm. They prove that Vikings and dragons can work Astrid (America Ferrera) to the comic together and move forward into a brave bumblers Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs new future. But to do so, Hiccup must (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Ruffnut convince his warrior father, the clan leader (Kristen Wiig) — who have his back. We’ve Stoick (ruggedly voiced by Gerard Butler), watched this gang of misfits grow into a to go against every instinct of their people. stalwart and lovable collection of heroes, In the second installment, we see who are capable of challenging and Hiccup and Toothless stumble upon a redefining cultural and social norms. cave full of wild dragons and an enigmatic Lessons of acceptance abound Dragon Rider, who turns out to be Hiccup’s throughout the How to Train Your mother Valka (Cate Blanchett). They Dragon franchise. It has been devoted to must broker a new peace between Viking presenting communities (both human and dragon riders and the growing wild dragon) teeming with characters who have population of dragons, who remain the disabilities and physical limitations and target of hunters. who develop adaptations that lead to more For all the humor and spirited flights accessible spaces. of fancy captured in this fantastic world, Despite the assembled talent, the writer-director Dean DeBlois — working narrative and the characters themselves from the How to Train Your Dragon book steal the show. We care about Hiccup, his series by Cressida Cowell — doesn’t shy friends and this world, which runs counter away from the conflicts and tragedy to our expectations about the lives of needed to define the journeys of his Vikings and dragons. evolving protagonists. There’s a sneaky curriculum complete The Hidden World is the final chapter with social and cultural justice points that in the epic ride of Hiccup and Toothless. never becomes didactic or heavy-handed. Up to this point, it had been assumed that Kids get to enjoy the humor and whizToothless, a Night Fury (and alpha among bang visual style, but The Hidden World the dragons), was the last of his kind. will speak to parents. It reminds us of our But the arrival of a female Light Fury own early days, the fun of spending time with special abilities beyond anything with friends, realizing how much our own Toothless has previously displayed sparks parents meant to us, and how we pass that renewed threats from human dragon love and sense of responsibility along to hunters, especially a brutal mercenary the next generation. named Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), Several strong animated franchises — who is intent on wiping out dragons once Toy Story and The LEGO Movie, to name and for all. two — have crafted moving portraits of Seeking again to protect the dragons idealized childhood relationships and the and his dragon-loving people, Hiccup power of imagination. But with The Hidden latches onto lore that details a lost utopian World, How to Train Your Dragon turns the realm beyond the end of the Earth, where neat trick of telling a story for adults in a he believes his people (and their dragons) way that kids can enjoy, too. can be free. As chief of the clan, it falls on That is what a coming-of-age story looks him to push past his doubts and fears to like. (In theaters) Grade: A lead everyone toward this new homeland. Contact tt stern-enzi: For all the focus on Hiccup and letters@citybeat.com Toothless, it would be unwise to forget that Hiccup has a whole community of Viking peers — from the brave and loyal

S AT U RD AY, JUNE 22, 2019 T H E P H O E NIX

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Ramen the Right Way Zundo Ramen & Donburi noodle bar does authentic Asian fast food and sake in Over-the-Rhine BY L E Y L A S H O KO O H E

Zundo Ramen & Donburi 220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, zundootr.com; Hours: 11:30 a.m.2:30 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Friday; noon- 2:30 a.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday.

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

make a meal of these alone. Dessert is understated at Zundo, but there are two daily ice cream offerings and a fun sasa dango, a dumpling made of sticky rice — which tastes like green tea and is a vibrant shade of green — wrapped around red bean paste, all wrapped up in a banana leaf and tied with a length of cord. It’s fun to unwrap, and fun to see if you are, as our server said, someone who likes the taste or someone who doesn’t. (My friend and I fell into opposing camps but I won’t tell who belongs to which.) On Fridays and Saturdays, Zundo brings in two specialty cannoli from Covington baker Steve Del Gardo: a green-tea-creamfilled, white chocolate-dipped cannoli and a spicy plum sake cannoli. They are, dear reader, very good. I prefer the less-sweet, spicy plum sake cannoli — the sake is robust but not overpowering and nicely balances the plum. Speaking of sake, there’s a ton to choose from at Zundo. Chao ticks off 35 varieties, filtered and non. “We sell so much sake, it’s ridiculous,” he says. The menu will follow the seasons of fall/winter and spring/ summer. Expect a sake float come warmer days and a sake mimosa.

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the others and leaving your stomach in a state of near-bliss. “You’re supposed to consume (the ramen) as hot as possible,” says chef Breedlove. “There’s a way you can slurp a bowl to where instead of pulling from the bottom, you actually just get the top layer, so instead of gulping, you slurp, so it just continually goes down.” Before slurping, you want to give all the delicious ingredients floating in the deep bowl a good mix. You want the doily-like slices of lotus root to mingle with the strips of pork belly, the rim of red miso paste, the jammy-centered soft-boiled egg and sprinkling of chopped green onions to take a bath in the bottom of the broth. (Fun fact: Zundo has a machine dedicated solely to chopping green onions because they go through so many.) Slurp as instructed. Repeat until done. You have two to three minutes to complete your mission. Alright, nobody is actually timing you. A friend and I stopped by Zundo on a recent evening to give it a go, and we both took different — and comparatively slow — approaches to consuming our respective ramens. She used chopsticks to manage the noodles; I selected a fork. Neither of us was sure how to transfer a squiggle of wasabi to our shrimp dumplings, but we made do with the tips of our fingers and chopsticks. We also had the gyoza, or fried pork dumplings. I could

“Our broth takes 14 hours; we start it in the morning (and) it’s done at 11 p.m. for tomorrow. Every single day, we have to, because we serve anywhere between 200 to 300 bowls a day of noodles,” Chao says. “You want that authentic broth — pork bones, chicken bones, however you want to make it. We took the traditional way of the tonkatsu style, which is the pork. It’s almost a whole pig in there, bones-wise. That’s how we get that creaminess. It’s all marrow.” Indeed, when Chao allowed me behind the counter to take a peek inside a bubbling cauldron of broth, he stirred its contents with an enormous paddle and brought the remnants of a pig’s skull to the surface. The broth was already creamy and frothy, and it still had at least seven of its boiling hours to go. In addition to tonkotsu, Zundo also offers ramen with a miso pork broth (regular or spicy) and a vegetarian version. The pièce de résistance of the ramen menu is the insider’s version: order the vegetarian miso ramen, request it spicy and add an egg and pork belly. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of all the other ramens, dragging in each of the best bits of

A spread of some of Zundo’s offerings

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ou’ve probably been eating ramen the wrong way as long as you’ve been eating it. But before you panic, let me reassure you: it’s OK. I was in the same boat until I sat down with David Chao, operating manager at Zundo Ramen & Donburi in Over-the-Rhine. “We wanted to bring that actual, ramenfast culture — like in Tokyo, Chicago, San Francisco, New York,” Chao says. “We wanted to bring you that fast feeling where you’re not in Cincinnati. We want you to feel like you’re in a big city.” Indeed, ramen is fast food in Japan. I’m not used to calling anything that doesn’t come in a crinkly paper wrapper “fast food,” and neither are most Americans. Embodying the concept of swift satisfaction without grease and guilt is something at which Zundo excels, and which is exactly what they hoped to achieve, Chao says. Other ramen joints in town include OTR Japanese gastropub Kaze; Quan Hapa, from the team behind Pho Lang Thang; chef Hideki Harada’s ramen pop-up at the Northside Yacht Club (and soon to be brick-and-mortar ramen establishment, Kiki College Hill); and Mei, the Montgomery flagship restaurant of Zundo’s proprietor chef Han Lin. The local crew of ramen purveyors call themselves “the ramen boys,” Chao says, but they each have their own spectrum of specialties. Quan Hapa, for example, serves okonomiyaki, or savory pancakes, while Zundo steers clear; Kaze has two ramens on their menu, but sushi is their mainstay. “It’s supposed to be simple: everything is either boiled or fried,” says Zundo’s executive chef Zachary Breedlove. “It’s really basic Japanese street food; the hits of Japanese street food.” Chao concurs. “We want to get you in and out, that fast flow — that’s what the menu caters to,” he says. Zundo, which means “big pot” in Japanese, has a small but fierce menu comprising four ramens with different broths, 10 donburis (including katsu curry, an Asian native favorite, Chao says), a thoughtful smattering of appetizers and a few desserts. Donburi is essentially a Japanese stew, with meats and veggies served over rice.

WHAT’S THE HOPS

March Brew News and Events BY G A R I N PI R N I A

You know the saying “March comes in like a lion?” Well, prepare yourself for a funfilled and busy month of Bockfest, Saint Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, FC Cincinnati’s major league debut, a brewery anniversary and the return of some favorite brews. The 27th annual Bockfest — a celebration that includes goats, a parade, sausages, German beers and maybe passing out in a gutter — takes place downtown and Over-the-Rhine March 1-3. Things kick off with a parade on March 1 that leaves from Arnold’s Bar & Grill at 6 p.m. and ends at Bockfest Hall in the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, the space around which the rest of the weekend’s Bock-tivities are centered. As part of the events on Saturday (March 2), the Bock Beer Experience offers up fourounce pours of special bock beers from more than a dozen local breweries for $25. Also on March 2, Arnold’s will tap four rare and one-off bock beers from 5-9 p.m., including Braxton’s Peach Ignitor Maibock and Fifty West’s German Bee Sting Road Bock, infused with almonds and honey. Besides Bockfest, soccer returns on March 2 when FC Cincinnati’s season opener takes place against the Seattle Sounders. This will be their first game as part of Major League Soccer. Municipal Brew Works will host a watch party, and the first 20 people who show up wearing FC clothing will receive a special pint koozie. That same weekend — March 1-3 — March First Brewing will celebrate its second anniversary. The bash will include special tappings and can releases, such as Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Raspberry Cider, Almond Cookie Imperial Stout, Irish Coffee Red and special infusions.

New Beers

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• On Feb. 22, March First released Black Lager with La Terza cold brew from the roaster’s Brazilian and Guatemalan cold brew blend. Try it at their taproom. • A couple of weeks ago, West Side

Brewing welcomed back German Irish Lager, which is available on draft and in cans at the taproom. It’s a tribute to Cincy’s Irish and German immigrants. • Last week Urban Artifact brought back The Gadget, a raspberry and blackberry Midwest Fruit Tart that’s brewed with more than 2,500 pounds of fruit. Try it on draft at the taproom or buy it in cans. • On March 1, Braxton brings back baseball beer 1957, an English-style Mild. Get in on draft and in cans.

Events • Every month, Listermann introduces or reintroduces a beer, and on March 2 they’ll bring back Brass Monkey, a NE IPA. They’ll unveil Brass Monkey Junkie, a mango and guava version of the IPA, and Brew Force, another NE IPA. The beers will be available on draft and to purchase in four-packs. The next day, Listermann will pair four of their beers with four Girl Scout cookies for $10. No tickets are necessary but cookies may sell out. And then on March 8, Listermann will be releasing the beer local ladies brewed to celebrate International Women’s Day. Ceres, a pear and blackberry Berliner Weisse, will be available on draft and in four-pack cans featuring the work of four different local female artists. During the International Women’s Day tapping party, Listermann will be raising money for local nonprofit Women Helping Women. • Streetside wants you to wear your best lumbersexual apparel for a good cause. On March 2, they’ll host Channel Your Flannel, a benefit for the Save the Animals Foundation. They’ll give away free doggie bandanas, and there will be a raffle, a photobooth and a silent auction. • Did you know DAAP at the University of Cincinnati teaches a course in duct tape? From March 1-3, Rhinegeist will transform into an art gallery and have those students’ creations on display during “Duct Tape on Tap.” The cost to attend is free, but be sure not to get stuck.

The making of Listermann’s 2018 International Women’s Day beer PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

• Join Cincy Brew Bus on March 5 aka Fat Tuesday for a feast of beers and Cajun food at Mason’s three breweries: Sonder, the Common Beer Company and 16 Lots. Each stop during Mardi Gras in Mason includes beer and food pairings, like BrewRiver’s shrimp po’ boys and gumbo at Sonder or King Cake at Common. Tickets are $69.99 (or $35 for non-drinkers). • For more Fat Tuesday action, Braxton and neighbor Rich’s Proper Food & Drink are throwing a crawfish boil at the taproom. For $10, you get a half-pound plate of crawfish and a slice of king cake. If you find the weird plastic baby hidden inside the cake, don’t eat it. You might win a prize. • On International Women’s Day (March 8), Swine City will give ladies $2 off pints, Grainworks will offer $1 off pints and Taft’s Brewpourium will host classes for women taught by Women of Cincy. • On March 10, Fifty West is teaming up with Dayton brewery Branch & Bone for a boozy brunch. Tickets are $40 and include a three-course brunch, a can of Chasing

Sunsets peach ale and six five-ounce beer pours. • Also on March 10, Christian Moerlein hosts the sixth Pints and Pitties event at its Malt House Taproom in Over-the-Rhine. The event — which doubles as a Saint Patrick’s Day party — benefits local AdoreA-Bull Rescue and features carnival-style games, vendors, raffles and beer. The brewery will donate $1 from all pints sold during the event. Tickets are $25-$35 and include swag and a beer ticket. • On March 14, Grainworks will host a Pi Day event — because Pi is 3.14 and March 14 is 3/14 — with a pie-inspired beer and beer and pie pairings from Grist Bistro. • Because Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday, several breweries are doing pre-celebrations the day before, including March First. But Grainworks, 16 Lots and Swine City are hosting parties both Saturday and Sunday, with Swine City opening at 7 a.m. on Sunday for kegs and eggs with festivities continuing all day. Contact Garin Pirnia: letters@citybeat.com

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CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 27

Most classes and events require registration and classes frequently sell out.

FRIDAY 01

Montgomery Inn 30th Anniversary — The Boathouse and the original Montgomery Inn location opened their doors in 1989, so the Ribs King is throwing it back with a deep, meaty discount: Guests can get a slab of original ribs and a side for $19.89 through March 2. (Usually, it’s like $29.99.) For lunch and dinner, dine-in only. montgomeryinn.com.

Zip Dip Opening Day — March 1 means spring in Cincinnati as creamy whips throw open their windows for the season. One of the first to greet the season is Zip Dip, which is hosting its 2019 opening day today. Get there early and don’t forget to bring your money; it’s cash only. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Zip Dip, 4050 Drew Ave., Westwood, zip-dip.com.

Route 50 Beer Dinner Series: Virginia — Fifty West takes a culinary journey along Route 50, making a pit stop in the state of Virginia for this three-course beer dinner. Chef John Tomain and brewmaster Scott LaFolette present an “Old Dominion”-inspired meal with a flavor description and beer pairing. 7-9 p.m. $50. Fifty West Brewing Company, 7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com.

Bockfest — Bockfest, America’s oldest German Bock-style beer festival, begins with a parade from Arnold’s Bar & Grill to the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom event center (aka Bockfest Hall) where the ceremonial blessing of a keg kicks off the party. If you’re a real trooper, there’s a 10 a.m. 5k on Saturday where the prize is, you guessed it, more beer and unique historic brewery and cellar tours are offered throughout the weekend. Sunday winds down the festivities with kid-friendly games and goat yoga, plus a bloody mary bar for the grown-ups. Go online for a full schedule of events at bockfest.com.

THURSDAY 28

Maple in Mt. Airy — While tasting fluffy pancakes and maple syrup, take a step outside to learn where that delicious concoction comes from. Join syrup-makers and take a class showcasing how trees produce sap, which gets turned into that sweet stuff. The day includes samples of maple tea and pure maple sugar. 9 a.m.-noon. $8. Mt. Airy Forest, 5083 Colerain Ave., Mt. Airy Forest, greatparks.org.

TUESDAY 05

Spirit Dinner at Karrikin — At this inaugural cocktail dinner, enjoy a passed canape appetizer followed by a four-course meal with cocktail pairings. 7-10 p.m. $75. Karrikin Spirits Co., 3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax, karrikinspirits.com. Mardi Gras in Mason — This progressive beer dinner and beer pairing features Cajun and Creole foods with local brews. Stop at Sonder Brewing to sample a beer with food from BrewRiver then head to 16 Lots for a Mad Monks Creole pizza. Next up is a stop at Common Brewing Co. with King cake and beer. 7-11 p.m. $69.99. Leaves from Sonder Brewing, 8584 Duke Blvd., Mason, cincybrewbus.com. Braxton Fat Tuesday Crawfish Boil — It’s Fat Tuesday and Braxton is partnering with Rich’s Proper Food & Drink for a traditional Louisiana crawfish boil, complete with King Cake — if you find the baby in the cake, you get a prize. Cincinnati band The Hot Magnolias will provide New Orleans-style party music. 5-10 p.m. $10 for half-pound of boil and king cake. 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Mardi Gras at the Overlook — Head to the Overlook for a crawfish boil featuring fresh Louisiana crawfish, with live music, cocktails, beads, masks and New Orleans décor. Noon-midnight. Free admission. Overlook Lodge, 6083 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, facebook. com/overlooklodge.

Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing — Listermann is changing Girl Scout cookie season as we know it by pairing four different cookies with four beers. 11 a.m-9.p.m. or until cookies run out. $10 for four pairings. Listermann Brewing Co., 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, facebook.com/ listermannbrewing.

EST. 1933

Brewcademy: Beer & Cheese — School is in session at Rhinegeist. Brewcademy is bringing together the worlds of beer and cheese as Stephanie Webster, cheesemonger from The Rhined, visits the taproom to discuss how to pair dairy and hops. 6:308:30 p.m. $45. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-theRhine, rhinegeist.com.

SATURDAY 02

Coppin’s Crawfish Boil — Coppin’s is serving up a slice of Creole cooking with this crawfish boil featuring all-you-can-eat crawfish with accompaniments and New Orleans-style dessert. 6-8 p.m. $50. Coppin’s at Hotel Covington, 638 Madison Ave., Covington, facebook. com/coppinscovington.

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National Chili Day Party with Gold Star Chili — Taft’s Brewpourium is showing love to our favorite food with a National Chili Day celebration. Taft’s will serve their limited Cincy Chili Porter — a brew mixed with flavors found in Gold Star Chili — as well as loaded tater tots and pizza topped with Gold Star. The first 25 people in the door will receive swag from Gold Star and Taft’s. The event is a collaboration to benefit the Freestore Foodbank. 5-10 p.m. Free admission. Taft’s Brewpourium, 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, cincinnatichiliday. com.

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Analog Heart and Soul

MUSIC

Cincinnati-based Chiefdom Records serves up retro-futurist Funk, Dub and more on beautifully designed vinyl BY J U D E N O EL

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

Mood with local emcees Main Flow and Donte. After garnering buzz on the strength of their single “Hustle on the Side,” the group signed to New York-based label TVT Records and spawned Doom, a 1997 LP that earned a cult following thanks to its tripped-out aesthetic and a few early Talib Kweli features. That record also included instrumentals by fellow Cincinnatian HiTek, who’d later go on to produce for acts like Black Star, Anderson .Paak and Snoop Dogg. “I did feel like I had my own sound,” Grimes says looking back. “At the same time, though, I felt limited making beats on a sampler. To me, it felt like my instrument, but not 100 percent so. “Now that I’m making music with live musicians, I’ve seen those limitations. I used to collect records to find these samples, and now I’m making that music.” At the turn of the millennium, Grimes’ enthusiasm for production A selection of album artwork from the Chiefdom Records discography waned. A slated collaboration with 50 Cent was lost in development P H O T O : C H I E F D O M R E C O R D S . B A N D C A M P. C O M hell. The sound of Hip Hop began to change. So Grimes took a hiatus — one keyboardist J-Skillz, guitarists Cameron SubTerrain, was inked by world traveler that lasted for about five years. Brown and Kevaughn Byers and bassist and Cincinnati native Stephen Bischoff. A bike ride through Loveland changed Terrell Montgomery. Grimes acts as the “I have four of (Bischoff’s) original pieces that. director of sorts, arranging the tracks in like that just sitting around right now,” “My wife and I were on the Loveland the studio and scratching records during Grimes says, contemplating their use for Bike Trail and got some lunch,” he says. live performances. Though different future releases. “I’ve got to write music to “We passed by this record store that had a band names are scattered throughout them. What we’re doing now just doesn’t sign in the window that said something the Chiefdom discography — Grimez, fit yet.” about Funk, so I had to go in and see what Nomadic Warriors, Doctor Bionic — In the meantime, Grimes is gearing up these dudes were talking about. I mean, they’re all essentially an extension of Jason for a Doctor Bionic show on March 2 at the this is Loveland. But then, Terry (Cole) Grimes’ work. Woodward Theater with nine-piece Funk/ busted my head. I couldn’t believe how “We currently have so many releases Afrobeat outfit Ernie Johnson From Detroit, knowledgeable he was.” planned for the future that we can’t get the a Cincinnati band that fits perfectly with Cole and his brother Bob co-founded artwork done fast enough,” he says. Chiefdom’s timeless grooves and analog Loveland’s Plaid Room Records store, an Grimes is a stickler for Chiefdom’s mindset. extension of their successful Colemine signature cover art. It has to be believably “They came down to our studio in Records, a label dedicated to current vintage — so much so that he prefers Northside and recorded some music with practitioners of vintage Soul and Funk his sleeves to appear worn from years us,” he says. “They offered us the chance that has a growing international following. of use. Acquiring the artwork can be an to open up for them — I’m like, ‘Definitely,’ Cole’s vision inspired Grimes to start makinternational affair. that’s a no-brainer. They’re doing really ing records of his own again. He revisited Chiefdom’s latest, the just-released Tip cool stuff.” the stash of recording equipment he’d of the Spear (credited to Grimez), features Catch Doctor Bionic live Saturday, March acquired over the years and began builda snapshot taken by a photographer 2 at The Woodward Theater (tickets/more ing a home studio as he reached out to a Grimes met in Mexico City. Whereas info: woodwardtheater.com). For more on team of session musicians — friends and the psychedelic portraiture gracing Chiefdom Records’ vinyl releases, visit acquaintances he’d met over the years. the cover of last year’s The Holy Realm chiefdomrecords.com or stream them at Chiefdom’s core house band currently comes courtesy of the Netherlands. The chiefdomrecords.bandcamp.com. consists of drummer Marvin Hawkins, artwork for one of the label’s first releases,

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or Jason Grimes, the process of recording an album starts with graphic design. “The artwork has to match the music,” says Grimes, founder of Cincinnati-based Chiefdom Records. “I’m going back to stuff from the ’60s and ’70s. Stuff like Gold Key Comics — sci-fi, fantasy, paperback books you might see in Barnes & Noble for 50 cents. I’m looking for analog illustration.” A longtime devotee of Soul Jazz and ’90s Hip Hop, Grimes curates a discography that oozes nostalgia. The Chiefdom imprint has pressed six vinyl records (out of a total of about a dozen releases overall) since early 2017, each adorned with cover artwork that’s as densely illustrated and time-worn as any comic book you’d find gathering dust in an old shoebox. The music itself is as retro as the visuals suggest. Each Chiefdom release is packed with genre-mashing jams that apply rattling breakbeats to Dub Reggae rhythm guitar and meandering Funk instrumentation. Most importantly, at least in Grimes’ opinion, it’s all recorded live to tape and printed on wax, creating a listening experience unadulterated by the digital world. “Vinyl’s been a huge part of my musical journey ever since I was a kid,” he says. “I spent the late ’70s and early ’80s collecting records. In the ’90s, I collected them to sample. We were always looking for good sounds and drum breaks. By the early 2000s, vinyl fell off in a sense once music became more digital. “Digital’s convenient, but a vinyl record is tangible — it’s always gonna be there.” Grimes’ music career began in 1988, when he was still attending Milford High School. A recent transplant from Florida, he purchased his first Technics 1200, a turntable popular for its precision and scratchability. At that point, he was more into DJing, spinning Miami Bass cuts from his home state alongside tracks by RunDMC and LL Cool J. By the time he’d saved up enough for two 1200s and a mixer, Grimes spent much of his free time holed up inside, practicing scratching and playing DMC tapes. “From there, I haven’t stopped since, really,” he says. “I went the hard route. In hindsight, I wish I went to school to learn engineering or music theory or something, but I was hard-headed.” In 1992, Grimes began producing under the alias Jahson and formed a trio called

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SPILL IT

Wilder Leans Into Its Rock Edge On New LP BY M I K E B R EEN

BY M I K E B R EE N

Man-Nipplegate or Nah?

People on social media had a lot to say about Maroon 5’s performance at the most recent Super Bowl halftime show and practically none of it was about the Pop band’s music. About 50 people took things a step further and filed official complaints with the FCC, all centered on two specific aspects of the show — singer Adam Levine’s exposed nipples. The gist: While Janet Jackson’s entire career was allegedly derailed when Justin Timberlake ripped off her top during their infamous nipple-exposing “wardrobe malfunction” 15 years ago at the Super Bowl, Levine’s two nipples got extended airtime and there was no fallout or fine. A sampling of the FCC complaints acquired by The Hollywood Reporter are along the lines of this one from a California viewer: “Janet Jackson should be issued a formal apology and Adam Levin (sic) should issue a formal apology for showing his nipples and horrible tattoo choices on live television.”

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Ja’s Losing Streak

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Those who somehow got excited for a chance to see an Amy Winehouse hologram perform on her (its? their?) upcoming tour will have to wait. Announced last year, the 2019 tour (which reportedly has the full blessing of the Winehouse estate) is being delayed due to tech issues, according to show producers BASE Hologram. Described as “a cross between a Broadway show and a concert spectacle,” the company said the production has “encountered some unique challenges and sensitivities.”

F E B . 2 7- M A R . 5 , 2 0 19

The lines between what is accepted as take it to a different place, untethered by “Country” music nowadays and the varistylistic signifiers. ous American Roots music offshoots (like Elsewhere, the moving “Reckless Roots Rock, Americana and AltCountry) Abandon” is a transcendent ballad that have developed over the past couple of with folksy undertones, while “Acts of decades have been progressively blurred. God” is a driving loud/soft rocker that Labels like Bloodshot Records and artists serves as a great showcase for Thomas’ like Steve Earle have helped exploit the formidable vocal talents. Other highlights crossover points between Country and include powerhouse tracks like “Saving Rock (and Folk and other ingredients of the Time” and “Ghost,” two of Wilder’s most Roots music soup) and inspired innumermelodically memorable songs yet and able musicians to explore their artistry and the best examples of the band fulfilling songwriting without overly concerning those “songs that stand on their own” goals themselves with fitting into any specific of 2015. The album ends with “Thick As category. The evolving sound — largely Thieves,” a high-octane barnburner with a lumped under the umbrella of “Americana” Rockabilly feistiness on which Steffen and (which encompasses even more styles) — Thomas trade off lines and harmonize with started out as fairly fringy and “indie,” but today you can hear varying degrees of Roots Rock/Country fusion in the music of major headliners like Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and many others. In 2015, Cincinnati band Wilder released its debut EP, a self-titled effort that was strongly rooted in Country music and buoyed by the sturdy songwriting talents of co-frontpeople Kelly Thomas (whose Fabulous Pickups band project had Wilder just ended) and Randy Steffen (whose Sleepin’ PHOTO: PROVIDED Dogs had also been recently put out to pasture). That impressive debut showed Wilder to Johnny-and-June-like chemistry. be a band that seemed influenced by a Outside of providing guidance for some wide spectrum of Country music, from consumers, genre classification seems to the traditional early sounds of the genre be becoming less and less relevant. Most through so-called AltCountry. of that is likely due to the way music is now In the press bio for the EP, it said that consumed and the easy accessibility of Thomas and Steffen created Wilder to every conceivable sound and style. But the exercise their songwriting muscles and try trend away from categorization spotlights to “write songs that stand on their own,” a fundamental truism that Wilder’s Pick regardless of the ornamentation. They’ve Your Poison also hammers home: No stayed true to that principal and drive matter the playlist or what section you put that point home harder on Wilder’s new it in at the record store, a good song is a album, Pick Your Poison. Steffen, Thomas good song. and bandmates Kevin Hogle (drums), John Wilder releases Pick Your Poison this Schmidt (bass) and Zach Rowe (guitar) Saturday in conjunction with an album lean into their Rock & Roll inspiration a release party at Southgate House Revival bit more on the album, and the end result (111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse. is a dynamic and entertaining nine-track com). The all-ages event in the venue’s collection that finds the group comfortable Sanctuary room kicks off at 8 p.m. and and confident in its sound and songs. features performances by Chelsea Ford & That’s not to say that the new album is The Trouble, The Poor Hours and Honey all distortion-heavy, cranked-to-11 wall& Houston. The $15 ticket price includes melters and roof-raisers. Wilder is more a copy of Pick Your Poison on CD ($10 artful and intricate than that and there is advance tickets without a CD are available an endearing rootsiness inherent in all of at ticketweb.com). its music. Pick Your Poison’s title track (and For more on Wilder, visit wildertunes. opener) is fueled by a classic and rollicking com. train drumbeat and the smoking guitar Contact Mike Breen: leads are certainly twangy. But when the mbreen@citybeat.com song’s huge chorus hits, the musicians

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Condensing Elton John’s life and times into a brief preview is like editing War and Peace down to a blurb in Entertainment Weekly. Back when he was still Reginald Dwight, he showed early musical promise when he began playing melodies on the piano by ear and performing for family and friends as a child. At 7, he began formal piano lessons; at 9 he fell in love with the nascent Rock of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and the Comets; at 11 he earned a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music; and at 13 he co-founded his first band. At 19, Dwight answered an ad in the British music magazine New Musical Express; Liberty Records was seeking a staff musician, and they hired the young pianist, fortuitously pairing him with a lyricist named Bernie Taupin. Six months later, he began playing under his adopted stage name, Elton John. John and Taupin moved to Dick James Music as staff songwriters and contributed Pop songs for artists like Lulu, and then moved into more textural compositions which led to Elton John’s first single in 1968 and his first album, Empty Sky, in 1969. His eponymous sophomore album in 1970 spawned the U.S. Top 10 hit “Your Song,” launching the success that, despite a few waning moments, has continued unabated for almost half a century. In that time, John has become one of the most flamboyant and extravagant Rock stars of the modern age. He wildly parodied his image in the film Kingsman: The Golden Circle two years ago, and one of that franchise’s stars, Taron Egerton, will portray John in the upcoming biopic Rocketman. His elaborate stage costumes and

Jonathan Richman P H O T O : D R I E LY S

oversized glasses became his signature style, and his concert productions became lavish spectacles until he was routinely filling arenas and stadiums. Over the past 50-plus years, Elton John has recorded over 30 albums, almost all of them with Taupin as his lyricist, and sold over 300 million units. John and Taupin were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and John was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, his first year of eligibility. John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998 and has won six Grammys and five Brit Awards, among other honors. Over the years, he has collaborated and/or played with Leon Russell, Queens of the Stone Age, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Alice in Chains, Millie Jackson, Jack White, Saxon, Jackson Browne, John Lennon and countless others. Elton John is currently in the midst of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road swan-song tour, but his genius will live on long after he retires from the stage. Legend does not even begin to describe the titanic talent that is embodied in Sir Elton Hercules John. (Brian Baker)

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and “I’m Straight” is five decades into a blazingly original career and looking at life from the perspective of a songwriter with more calendars behind him than ahead. Even at his most mature, with some of his best and most introspective works being produced in the new millennium, Jonathan Richman retains his boyish naïveté, his multi-octave nasality, his musically primitive sophistication, his old soul wisdom and his childlike wonder. (BB)

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2/26 Tyler Ramsey(Band of Horses) 4/4 Louis York and The Shindellas + Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) 4/12 The Association 2/28 Jonathan Richman 4/13 Jah9 Feat. Tommy Larkins 4/19 Albert Cummings March 4/26 Book of love 3/2 Loudon Wainwright III T 4/27 Rockapella 3/8 Rumours OU D L Fleetwood May SO Mac Tribute 5/9 California Guitar Trio 3/9 Adrian Belew SOLD O UT w/ Montreal Guitar Trio 3/15 Nelson Rangell 5/16 Gangstagrass w/ Adam Hawley 5/18 Broken Arrow 3/16 "Watch What Crappens" Podcast 9/6 Pat Travers 3/23 Abbarama 3/28 Jazz is Phish featuring members of Snarky Puppy 3/29 Kenny Lattimore Kitchen Open 3/30 Huntertones Tue-Sat 4:00pm

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If Nerd Rock could be considered a musical realm, then Jonathan Richman would be the kingdom’s crowned head. After playing out the string with his first band — influential ’70s Rock group The Modern Lovers — Richman used that ensemble’s name sporadically but essentially operated as a solo artist after the release of 1983’s Jonathan Sings! With his eponymous 1989 album, Richman officially retired the Modern Lovers moniker. Since then, he’s released more than a dozen studio albums under his own name and became a pop culture cult hero after appearing in Farrelly brothers films like There’s Something About Mary. Richman is out touring with longtime drum partner Tommy Larkins behind his latest album, SA, his second for Clevelandbased Blue Arrow Records, released last October. Given Richman’s renowned sense of humor, it might have been tempting to assume his new album’s title could be read as the phonetic spelling of the word “essay,” but early press surrounding the release revealed that SA is the first root note in the Indian raga. In fact, a good many of the hypnotic melodies on SA, co-produced by Richman and former Modern Lovers bandmate Jerry Harrison, seem to originate from the Indian tradition, albeit as viewed through Richman’s profoundly whimsical or whimsically profound creative prism. Even the songs most directly drawn from that specific influence sound as though they’re being performed by a Klezmer band with a harmonium or a carnival calliope as its lead instrument. Lyrically, several of SA’s songs are straight musical readings or interpretations of various known and unknown poets, but the rest feature Richman’s patented wide-eyed view of whatever world he’s inhabiting at the moment. And yet it’s clear that the creator of naïve Rock classics like “Roadrunner”

With its 2016 self-titled debut, Canadian band Living Hour was immediately slapped with the “Shoegaze” label, which was appropriate enough given the noisier waves of engulfing guitar and ethereal melodies on the album. But with subsequent releases, the group has trended away from the big noise of genre forbearers like My Bloody Valentine or Swervedriver, showing off an alluring side of its artistry that is a more intricate — and even more entrancing and enchanting — brand of dreamy, cinematic Indie Rock. Singer Sam Sarty’s voice is a gorgeous mix of classic leading-edge chanteuses like Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser and The Velvet Underground’s Nico, and her bandmates (guitarists Gil Carroll and Adam Soloway, drummer Alex Chochinov and bassist Brett Ticzon) artfully wrap dynamic textures around her melodies instead of simply erecting a proverbial “wall of sound” atop which she can sing. Living Hour first came together in a Winnipeg basement in 2015. An appearance on a British compilation that year and a limited cassette release of the group’s debut album led to Portland, Oregon indie label Lefse re-releasing the LP, which helped attract the attention of Dreamgaze fans worldwide fairly quickly. Living Hour has since toured extensively in North America and Europe, and dropped an EP of Françoise Hardy, Avi Buffalo, The Ink Spots and Nico covers in 2017, which, with an elegant smudge of Vaseline on the lens, offers a good view of where the band is coming from. Living Hour’s anticipated new album, Softer Faces, is due Friday on Kanine Records (home to recordings by artists like Grizzly Bear, Chairlift and Surfer Blood), so Cincinnati fans will have a chance to see the band while the musicians are still on a release-day high. The sublime Dream Pop sounds of singles like “Hallboy,” “Bottom Step” and “Water” suggest Softer Faces would have been one of the best releases of the year on the 4AD label had it come out in 1984. In 2019, although it is still early, the album stands a chance of being one of the best Indie Rock releases of the year overall. Living Hour isn’t just gazing at its shoes — its eyes are on the entire expansive sky above… and beyond. (Mike Breen)

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LISTINGS

CityBeat’s music listings are free. Send info to Mike Breen at mbreen@citybeat.com. Listings are subject to change. See CityBeat.com for full music listings and all club locations. H is CityBeat staff’s stamp of approval.

WEDNESDAY 27

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Piano/Various. Free. BLIND LEMON - Jonathan Luck. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE – Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Jazz/Swing. Cover. THE GREENWICH - Gary Gorrell Quartet. 5 p.m. Jazz. Free. HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Peter Gemus Trio with Rob Allgeyer. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Dallas Moore. 10 p.m. Country. Free. THE MAD FROG - Hip Hop Open Mic. 9 p.m. Hip Hop.

MEMORIAL HALL The Milk Carton Kids with Vera Sola. 8 p.m. Folk/ Americana. $30-$45. MOTR PUB - Good Morning Bedlam with White Line Fever. 10 p.m. Americana/ Roots/Folk/Various. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Kyle English. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free, BOGART’S - Space Jesus. 9 p.m. Electronic/Dance. $22. BREWRIVER - Ricky Nye. 6 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie CAFFÈ VIVACE - Daybreaker Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. THE GREENWICH - Now Hear This. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $5. HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Jim Anderson Trio with Steve Schmidt. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

LUDLOW GARAGE - Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins. 8:30 p.m. Pop/Rock/Various. $15-$35.

THE MOCKBEE - Benefit for Tua’s Leukemia Recovery Fund featuring Misnomer and Groundhog Gravy. 8 p.m. Rock/ Various. Free (donations encouraged).

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Sarah Dupee. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

MOLLY MALONE’S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT Missy Werner Band. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Ryan Malott with Jacob Tippey and Noah Smith. 9 p.m. Singer/Songwriter. Free. STANLEY’S PUB - Maritime Law & Friends. 9 p.m. Acoustic/Improv. Free.

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U.S. BANK ARENA Elton John. 8 p.m. Pop/ Rock. $49.50-$224.50.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Fates Got A Driver with In Winds. 7:30 p.m. Rock. $10, $12 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB Holmesbury, Mike Holmes and Nick Sudbury. 9 p.m. Acoustic/Improv. URBAN ARTIFACT - The Electric Indigo and Mara Moon. 9 p.m. Rock/Funk/ Jam/Various.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON Saliva. 7 p.m. Rock. $17. BOGART’S - The Prince Experience. 8 p.m. Prince tribute. Cover.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Andrew Haug Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Five Little Bears. 8:30 p.m. Jazz.

Earational Behavior, EZSIXOSIX, FableFonics, Ghetto Nerd and B-low Dirt. 6:30 p.m. Rap. $25. MANSION HILL TAVERN - Leroy Ellington. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

MOTR PUB - The Big Turn On Festival with The Gripsweats and The Mortals. 10 p.m. Garage/ Soul/Rock/Various. Free.

THE GREENWICH David Potter Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. $5-$10.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN Blue Eighty. 10 p.m. ’80s Alternative/New Wave. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Good Hooks. 9 p.m. Pop/Dance/Various. $5.

PEECOX ERLANGER Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m. Rock. $5.

JERZEES PUB & GRUB - Pandora Effect. 9 p.m. Rock.

RADISSON CINCINNATI RIVERFRONT - Basic Truth. 8 p.m. R&B/Funk/ Soul.

JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Nick Netherton. 9 p.m. Country

RICK’S TAVERN - Empty Garden. 10 p.m. Rock/Various. Cover.

KNOTTY PINE - Final Order. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

MADISON LIVE - A.X.E is Family Tour with A.X.E,

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Barry Ries. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Clownvis Presley with The Jimmy Psycho Experiment and Go Go Buffalo. 9 p.m. Rock/Various. $12, $15 day of show.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Pinegrove with Another Michael. 8 p.m. Sold out.

The Almost Infinite, Ryan Muddiman, Tiger Voice and much more. 8 p.m. Rock/ Blues/Roots/Comedy/Spoken Word/Various. $5.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - The Faux Frenchmen (9 p.m.); Brian Lovely Duo (5:30 p.m.). 5:30 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

STANLEY’S PUB Otis. 10 p.m. Southern Rock/Blues. Cover.

WESTSIDE VENUE Groundhog Gravy. 9 p.m. Rock/Various

THOMPSON HOUSE CNTR Stag3 Live Beyond the Music with E The Profit, Jesse Michel, $teve Cannon, Crash Rarri and Lucki. 8 p.m. Hip Hop/R&B. $25-$40.

TOP CATS - Tiger Sex, Breaking Glass and Doomed City Villains. 9 p.m. Rock/Punk. $10.

URBAN ARTIFACT It Takes An Army: A Variety Benefit Show For Maslow’s Army featuring The Whiskey Shambles,

WOODWARD THEATER - The Big Turn On Festival with Lauren Eylise & The Part Time Lovers with Jon Schuyler and Audley. 9 p.m. Soul/R&B/ Pop/Various. $10, $12 day of show.

SATURDAY 02

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Cincinnati Dancing Pigs. 8 p.m. Americana/Jug band. Free. BOGART’S - Sixteen

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

THURSDAY 28

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Open Mic. 7 p.m. Various. Free.

FRIDAY 01

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

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Your Pest Band and Vacation. 9 p.m. Rock/Punk/Various. $8, $10 day of show.

PHOTO: JOSHUA BL ACK WILKINS

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URBAN ARTIFACT Marjorie Lee and The Lovers with Kyleen Downes, Knotts and Jess Lamb. 8 p.m. Pop/Rock/Various. Free.

MOTR PUB - Bassel & the Supernaturals with Moselle. 10 p.m. Soul/Jazz/ Pop/Various. Free.

Folk duo The Milk Carton Kids perform at Memorial Hall on Wednesday.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Wilder (album release) with Honey & Houston and Chelsea Ford & The Trouble. 9 p.m. Americana/ Roots/Rock/Various. $10, $15 day of show. STANLEY’S PUB - Shiny Old Soul. 10 p.m. Roots/Jazz/ Rock/Various.

TAFT THEATRE - Gaelic Storm. 8 p.m. Celtic. $33-$38. URBAN ARTIFACT - Dead Centric. 9 p.m. Grateful Dead tribute. $5.

AltCountry band Vandoliers play the Northside Yacht Club Tuesday. PHOTO: MIKE BROOKS

Candles. 9 p.m. ’80s Pop/ Rock. $12. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Rusty Burge with The Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE Emmaline. 8:30 p.m. Jazz/Soul.

FRONT STREET CAFE - Encore Duo. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Classic Rock. Free.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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THE GREENWICH Zo! + Carmen Rodgers. 8 p.m. Soul/R&B. $18, $20 day of show.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - Brass Tracks Band. 9 p.m. Rock/Various. $5. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Danny Frazier. 9 p.m. Country. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Lt. Dan’s New Legs. 10 p.m. Pop/ Dance/Various. Cover.

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LUDLOW GARAGE Loudon Wainwright III. 8:30 p.m. Folk. $25-$45. THE MAD FROG Boomtown Vol. 2 with Mister Shifter, Troll, Willie

Grimez and more. 9 p.m. Electronic/Dance/DJ/Various. Cover.

MADISON LIVE Abducted a Bass Series Part 1 with Tantrum, Hesh, Subtronics, Phiso, Midnight T, Monxx, Svdden Death, Peekaboo. 9 p.m. Electronic/Dance. $10.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Johnny Fink & the Intrusion. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

MEMORIAL HALL Grateful Ball featuring The Travelin’ McCourys & The Jeff Austin Band. 8 p.m. Bluegrass/Jam/Grateful Dead tribute. $24-$34.

MIAMI UNIVERSITYMIDDLETOWN Leftover Salmon. 7:30 p.m. Progressive Bluegrass/Jam. $32 (at Dave Finkelman Auditorium).

MOTR PUB - The Big Turn On Festival with Super City and Automagik. 10 p.m. Indie/Rock/Various. Free. MVP BAR & GRILLE Trailer Park Floosies. 9 p.m. Rock/Pop/Rap/Dance/ Country/Various. $5.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Sexy Time Live Band Karaoke. 10 p.m. Rock/ Various. Free. NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Tyrants, Backslide, Split Tongue and Kicked Out. 9 p.m. Metal/Hardcore. PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Tadcasters. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass/Roots. Free. REDWINE & CO. - Everything’s Jake. 8 p.m. R&B/ Blues/Jazz/Rock. Free. RICK’S TAVERN - The Menus. 10 p.m. Rock/Pop/ Various. Cover.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Barry Ries. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Andrew Adkins. 9:30 p.m. Roots/Americana. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters with Wonky Tonk and The High Life. 9 p.m. Indie/Country/Americana/Various. $8, $10 day of show.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - FrenchAxe, George Cunningham & Joe Lukasik, Mike Sharfe Duo and Buffalo Ridge Jazz Trio. noon Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum). WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Ricky Nye and Chris Douglas. 7 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie.

WOODWARD THEATER - The Big Turn On Festival with Ernie Johnson From Detroit with Doctor Bionic and FLOCKS. 9 p.m. Funk/Afrobeat/Jazz/ Electronic/Various. $10, $12 day of show.

SUNDAY 03

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Xavier Jazz Orchestra & KGB Trio. 2:30 p.m. Jazz.

THE COMET - The Comet Bluegrass AllStars. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

THE GREENWICH - Art Meets Freedom Series:

Bianca Graham & DJ Hershe B. 7 p.m. Spoken Word/ Various. $5. KNOTTY PINE - Randy Peak. 10 p.m. Acoustic/ Various. Free. MANSION HILL TAVERN - Open Jam with Deb Ohlinger. 6 p.m. Blues. MOTR PUB - Beasts of Joy. 8 p.m. Acoustic/Various. Free. NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Cairo Jag, Bundy and the Spins and The Kno Nothings. 7 p.m. Rock. $5. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Jason Eady with Courtney Patton. 8 p.m. Americana. $12, $15 day of show. STANLEY’S PUB - Open Jam. 9 p.m. Improv/Various. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT Misunderstood, Hot Diggity Daffodil, Mike Defendant + Katrina Jo, Lizzie Anne, The You Suck Flying Circus and Run Rabbit Run. 8 p.m. Rock/Punk/ Various. WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Traditional New Orleans Jazz Brunch with 2nd Line Jazz Trio. 11:30 a.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

WESTSIDE VENUE - Blues Jam with Jimmy D. Rodgers and Lil Al Thomas. 7 p.m. Blues. Free.

MONDAY 04

THE GREENWICH - The Flying Circus Big Band. 8 p.m. Jazz. $5 or two canned goods. KNOTTY PINE - Open Mic. 9 p.m. Various. Free.

MADISON LIVE Arkells with The Greeting Committee. 8 p.m. AltRock. $15, $18 day of show.

p.m. Acoustic. Free. MOLLY MALONE’S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT Open Bluegrass Jam. 8 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

MOTR PUB - Living Hour. 10 p.m. Indie/ Rock/Dream Pop. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Jazz Jam. 9 p.m. Jazz/Improv. Free.

TUESDAY 05

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - John Redell. 7 p.m. Blues. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Nick Tuttle. 8:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BOGART’S - Flogging Molly. 8 p.m. Celtic/ Punk/Rock. $35.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Lynne Scott & Lee Stolar Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL - Music Live@Lunch with Lagniappe. noon Cajun/Various. Free. CROW’S NEST - Open Mic Night. 8 p.m. Various. Free.

IRISH HERITAGE CENTER - Mardi Gras with The Burning Caravan. 6:30 p.m. Gypsy Jazz. Cover.

LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Latitudes House Band and Open Mic. 8 p.m. Various (open mic at 11 p.m.). Free. THE MAD FROG - House Music. 9 p.m. EDM. Free.

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Vandoliers with Austin Lucas, Mike Oberst and 500 Miles to Memphis. 11 p.m. Country/ Roots/Americana. $10, $12 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Trashgrass Troubadours with Pickin’ Pear. 8 p.m. Bluegrass/Newgrass. Cover.

MANSION HILL TAVERN - Open Acoustic Jam with John Redell & Friends. 8

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

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