CityBeat | Jan. 26-Feb. 8, 2022

@HoodMidCenturyModern

Jerald Cooper’s Hood Century Instagram account is an art gallery, blog, educational tool and cultural archive all rolled into a single vertical scroll

BY JUDE NOEL & MACKENZIE MANLEY

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@HoodMidCenturyModern

Jerald Cooper’s Hood Century Instagram account is an art gallery, blog, educational tool and cultural archive all rolled into a single vertical scroll

BY JUDE NOEL & MACKENZIE MANLEY

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

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NEWS

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval talks to reporters on Jan. 18, with Cincinnati City Council member Reggie Harris in the background.

P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / C I T YO F C I N C I N N AT I

Cincinnati Looks T At New Equitable Housing Policy Reforms A proposal could make it easier for smaller, more diverse developers to gain access to local and state incentives

BY A L L I S O N BA B K A

he City of Cincinnati is looking to implement something that was at the heart of Mayor Aftab Pureval’s campaign promises — equity in housing.

During a Jan. 18 briefing, Pureval announced that the city is putting together a package of reforms that aim to increase housing options and affordability, particularly for residents in Cincinnati neighborhoods that traditionally have been left out of the city’s development and progress.

At press time, Pureval said that he would introduce a motion to Cincinnati City Council to conduct a comprehensive housing incentive and

zoning review. The motion also would engage residents and remove housing barriers, Pureval said. The review and legislation that follows would guide Cincinnati’s future growth and boost mixed-income affordable housing instead of concentrating incentives on projects and in neighborhoods that already have financial advantages, he added.

Pureval said the council would vote on the motion during the week of Jan. 24.

The mayor also said that the city will do more to hold out-of-town landlords accountable. New staff will be added to the city’s legal department to prosecute

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landlords who “refuse to improve the safety and quality of properties,” Pureval said. The hiring process already is under way, he said.

Pureval said that Reggie Harris, council member and chair of the equitable growth and housing committee, is working to update zoning laws that currently deem certain multi-family units illegal. Harris also is looking to fund homelessness prevention programs.

“We’ve had sort of a piecemeal approach because working in affordable housing development in a city that’s growing at the rate that Cincinnati is growing is difficult, but we are going to get there,” Harris said.

“And we cannot lose sight of equity.

It’s very closely tied to thinking about our abatement policies,” he continued.

“We are here to cut the red tape and to make sure that incentives are available and accessible to affordable housing developers to do business in Cincinnati.”

Harris said that his team is working with the mayor’s administration to streamline the process for developers who apply for low-income housing tax credits. Right now, developers must have a letter of support from the city to submit with an application to the state.

If approved, they then return to the city to ask for a tax abatement to make the project affordable and confer with the state again.

Through Harris’s revised process, those steps are combined and sped up. Harris says that now when the city provides the letter of support, it will also have vetted a project and granted a provisional abatement, which strengthens a developer’s application.

When Ohio approves a project and grants tax credits, Harris said, the project can immediately begin.

The new process increases the likelihood of state support, Harris said.

“That might sound like a tedious policy decision, but it’s one of the most critical steps we can take to

LGBTQ+ Marriage Pioneer, University of Cincinnati Grad Jim Obergefell Is Running for Ohio’s 89th District

BY A L L I S O N BA B K A The man who helped change the course of America’s marriage equality through law is now hoping to do something similar in the political arena.

Jim Obergefell, who attended the University of Cincinnati and was the lead plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell vs. Hodges, announced on Jan. 18 that he is running for Ohio’s 89th House district. The district includes portions of Erie and Ottawa counties along Lake Erie and is currently represented by Republican D.J. Swearingen. Obergefell will run as a Democrat.

“This district in the past has had

Democrats as the representative. It can again,” Obergefell said during a virtual press conference. “I think I’ve proven with my fight for marriage equality that I don’t mind being an underdog. I don’t mind fighting a very big fight when it’s the right thing to do.”

Obergefell became a household name in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized marriage between members of the same sex throughout the country.

In 2013, Obergefell married longtime partner John Arthur, whom he met in Cincinnati, in Maryland after Arthur became very ill with amyotrophic

Bengals Advance to AFC Championship Round

BY A L L I S O N BA B K A The Cincinnati Bengals — the franchise that has been mocked for years of losing seasons — are heading to the AFC Championship bout for the first time since 1988.

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The Bengals beat the Tennessee Titans 19-16 on Jan. 22 with a magical walk-off kick that further enhanced the current squad’s legendary status.

As four seconds ticked down to

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

expedite creating affordable housing development in Cincinnati and incentivizing developers to do that because of the city’s support,” Harris said. “Low-income housing tax credits are the lifeline for creating new affordable units in the city.”

Harris said that a process with fewer barriers will “create the conditions” for affordable housing and allow a more diverse array of developers to apply for and receive incentives.

“When you think about this ecosystem of people who can bring housing, when you have the conditions, when you have streamlined, efficient processes, that allows a lot of people to participate,” Harris said. “So when we talk about equity, when we talk about minority business inclusion, we are creating the conditions (in the) city for people to say hey, ‘I want to be a part of my neighborhood revitalization,’ and they’re not bogged down in bureaucracy.”

“We can amass all the money that

we want in the pot, but if it’s hard (for developers) to use that money, then folks say, ‘Listen, I don’t want to come to Cincinnati because yeah, they have the money in the pot but it takes forever to access it,’ and it doesn’t really do us any favors’,” he added Pureval said that the newly announced reforms are the first of a number of ways Cincinnati will try to boost equitable housing.

“There is no one answer to our housing challenges, and specifically our affordable housing challenges, which is why what we’re announcing today is multi-faceted and a first step toward a comprehensive approach,” Pureval said. “What are the barriers artificially keeping our housing supply low?

And when you artificially keep your housing supply low, you are artificially increasing property tax amounts and increasing rents.”

lateral sclerosis (ALS). Because their home state of Ohio did not recognize same-sex marriages, Obergefell would not be able to be listed on Arthur’s death certificate as the surviving spouse.

Obergefell later filed suit in lower courts before the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, with all nine judges ultimately deciding that states could not discriminate between heterosexual and homosexual marriages and that legal marriages in one state must be recognized in other states.

Obergefell documented the journey in his book Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality.

Obergefell was born in Sandusky and, after stints in Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., and Columbus, now lives there again near his siblings. In running for the Ohio House of Representatives,

Obergefell said he plans to focus on equitable healthcare, well-paying jobs and improving schools.

He also will concentrate on Lake Erie as a driver of economy and tourism, he said, intending to form a bipartisan commission to invest in the projects and infrastructure around the lake as well as its protection.

“We live on Lake Erie, our area’s greatest natural resource. We rely on the lake for our drinking water, tourism, recreation and as one of the drivers of our local economy,” Obergefell said.

“On day one, I’ll invite the governor to Ohio’s North Coast so they understand Lake Erie is an asset for the entire state.”

(Former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is running for the Democratic nomination to take on Ohio’s incumbent governor Mike DeWine later this year.)

nothing at the end of the fourth quarter, rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal to put the Bengals over the top. The movie-star ending happened even after quarterback Joe Burrow endured nine sacks throughout the game.

The win against the Titans came just a week after the team’s can-youbelieve-it victory over the Las Vegas

Raiders in the Wild Card round.

The Bengals now advance to the AFC Championship round and will play the Kansas City Chiefs at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, at Arrowhead Stadium.

If the Bengals win the AFC Championship, they will head to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 13.

We’re saving a seat for you!

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022 |

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The Radisson Hotel in Covington P H OTO : A A RO N ST E R N

@HoodMidCenturyModern

Jerald Cooper’s Hood Century Instagram account is an art gallery, blog, educational tool and cultural archive all rolled into a single vertical scroll

BY JUDE NOEL & MACKENZIE MANLEY

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

TAKING A NEIGHBORHOOD SCROLL

BY MACKENZIE MANLEY

Many Greater Cincinnati locals have taken to Instagram to document architectural gems within their own communities. “Our physical environment impacts our wellbeing, whether or not we are able to articulate that impact in words,” says Maya Drozdz of the Cincinnati Preservation Association.

“We interact with buildings on a regular basis, and they are ever present, shaping our understanding of our community and of places we visit.”

Here’s what the minds behind three local architecture Instagram accounts tell CityBeat about the importance of knowing one’s own backyard.

Cincinnati Revealed (@cincinnati_revealed)

Hartke Hardware in Brighton P H O T O : @ C I N C I N N AT I _ R E V E A L E D

Family members toss Jerald Cooper into the air in 1985.

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

It was just over 50 years ago that the Cincinnati Reds logged their final game at the now-destroyed Crosley Field, but its spirit still lingers on in the lot behind City Gospel Mission in the West End, where the field was once located.

A memorial with replica light towers and yellow foul poles juts from the pavement like ancient ruins. A mural of Crosley Field — and an informational plaque — lets passersby get a glimpse into the park’s past. Once a green oasis, the site is now occupied by warehouses and storage units.

In the building across from the mural is the studio of Jerald Cooper, a self-defined creative director who is best known for running the popular Instagram account Hood Century (@HoodMidCenturyModern). Hood Century is dedicated to revealing the architectural history and importance behind otherwise-unassuming locations — like the Crosley lot, along with libraries, dry cleaners, apartment complexes, abandoned buildings and more — in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Mexico, Paris and beyond.

Billed as the “streets’ preservation society” in its bio, with the tagline “Yes!! There is mid-century modern design in the hood!,” Cooper launched

the instagram account in late 2019.

What started with him wanting to show his friends the architecture of his hometown, Cincinnati, became a community of more than 50,000 followers, garnering national recognition in outlets such as Vogue, Dwell and Architectural Digest.

The attention also has landed Cooper some high-profile collaborations: an editorial in Elle; a week-long residency at Neutra VDL Studio, an architecture museum in California; and work scouting locations for music videos (Before starting Hood Century, Cooper managed musicians like British R&B singer Ama Lou and Young Guru, best known as Jay-Z’s producer).

Today, Hood Century functions as more than just a slideshow — it’s an art gallery, blog, educational tool and cultural archive all rolled into a single vertical scroll.

Between photo carousels showcasing the work of John S. Chase, Texas’ first licensed Black architect, or a boxy home built in L.A. 's View ParkWindsor Hills neighborhood, you’ll find dispatches from Cooper’s travels and personal life, sometimes paired with just a single word or emoji.

In a post from September, Cooper

points to the exterior of an unusual preschool that vaguely recalls the flat lines of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style. “Cute, might delete later,” reads its tongue-in-cheek caption. In another, he documents a meal at Pann’s Restaurant, a retro diner that has been featured in episodes of Insecure and Bewitched.

Cooper first developed an interest in architecture through traveling, exploring cities and noticing the “art that just happens to be buildings.” That led him to researching the built environments he found himself in. Stacked throughout his studio are books on architecture, art and urban design; linked on his Instagram profile are videos, articles and PDFs on varying topics. Knowing the language of architecture and making it accessible to his follower base is at the heart of Hood Century’s mission.

“One of my big things is what Black people don't know,” Cooper says. “I don't like it because it basically keeps us out of things. If you don’t know wine, it is hard to really schmooze with the CMO or CEO. I always remember being like, ‘Man, we need to know this.’ Everybody's talking about gentrification and nobody knows their neighborhood.

“Nobody knew the architecture and knew the history of the people (that

A history teacher at Walnut Hills High School, Kevin McCormick moved to Cincinnati from Michigan in 1994. Almost immediately, he was struck by the city’s unique vernacular architecture.

Now a resident of East Walnut Hills, each of his posts (more than 2,000 now) are paired with a brief historical account of that day’s featured building. A post from July, for example, features a building designed by architect Edward Schulte in 1931 that once housed the Paramount Theatre.

Schwartz’s Point in Over-the-Rhine P H O T O : @ C I N C I N N AT I _ R E V E A L E D

“The limestone facade features stylized chevron relief, circular motifs, and materials associated with the Machine Age,” the post reads. “The iconic structure was the cultural nucleus of Walnut Hills for generations before shifting economic realities left the building abandoned and forlorn. In recent years, however, the facade’s Deco luster has returned as Walnut Hills' rebirth has restored economic vitality to Peebles Corner.”

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A photograph of a home in Cincinnati featured on @HoodMidCenturyModern P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

came) before. Nobody knows what's coming into the neighborhood, who’s building in the neighborhood. Nobody knew a lot of the things that are now on the account.”

It’s become increasingly clear that Hood Century isn’t just an architectural descriptor. It’s a way of life.

Hood Century Is for the Kids It’s just cold enough for a few errant snowflakes to fall when Cooper descends the stairs leading to his studio. There’s a sticker depicting Solange Knowles sitting on the roof of the Guggenheim, photoshopped pale pink, affixed to his mailbox. He suggests we grab breakfast, and we hop in his truck in search of somewhere to get food.

“I was up until, like, 6:30 this morning watching the English Premier League,” he says, turning on the heat and Half

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God, the latest album by New York City rapper Wiki.

“It’s funny that I’ve been living between Los Angeles, New York and London for the last eight years.

People will ask, ‘Why would you live in London?’ It’s literally just like this,” Cooper says, referring to the dreary weather. “I just didn’t have an explanation. Man, you get called places for shit other than weather.”

After some deliberation, we land at Otto’s in MainStrasse for brunch. There, he reflects on a Hood Century post from early November — a video of a young girl in yellow rain boots balancing atop an oddly-shaped park bench. Her mother had sent Cooper the clip.

“Is this Streamline or Art Deco?” she says, giggling, before leaping from its backrest. She’s leaning toward Art Deco, but the girl’s brother seems to think its curved lines suggest the former’s influence.

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Cooper captioned this photo from College Hill, “atop my childhood street.”

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

Gilliand-Gatch House in Terrace Park P H O T O : @ C I N C I N N AT I _ R E V E A L E D

McCormick says that over the last 20 to 30 years, the city has lost a significant number of buildings. Promoting the preservation of these spaces as being integral to maintaining the cultural fabric of the city is a big part of why he opened the account to begin with — along with the “selfish pursuit of beauty and wonderful architecture,” he says.

His favorite architectural find? McCormick says it’s constantly changing. He says that since Cincinnati experienced a large population growth in the 19th century, there’s an impressive collection of Victorian-era architecture. But when McCormick first moved here, it was the Second Empire and Italianate style he gravitated toward.

“I can recall moving here in the ’90s and walking down street after street in Overthe-Rhine and just being gobsmacked by the architecture,” he says. “I had no idea when I moved here what I was going to encounter, but I was so blown away by how cohesive the Italianate collection was.”

Covington Uncovered (@covington_uncovered)

A funeral home built in the 1870s P H OTO : @ C OV I N G TO N _ U N C OV E R E D

Looking out from inside the Radisson in Covington P H OTO : A A RO N ST E R N

“Be honest,” reads Cooper’s caption.

“You ever heard a kid of color asking a question like this?”

“That makes me want to cry,” he says, noting that he sent the family a pack of his Hood Century Flashcards after seeing it.

Bound with cardboard and rubber bands, the 5-inch-by-7-inch informational cards offer quick lessons in architectural design and were made to complement the Hood Century account (they were previously available for sale online). On each, there

are handwritten, bulleted descriptions of building styles from Metabolism, a Japanese movement modeled after living cells, to Brutalism, which was coined for its heavy use of concrete. A sketch by Joe Walsh, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), appears on the flipside of each, illustrating each concept with charming simplicity. Covington’s Radisson Hotel is featured on the Midcentury Modern card — a building that is one of Cooper’s favorite photographic subjects.

“That’s a kid who’s going to feel like, at a young age, that they can and should know that there are styles of buildings.

I grew up not even knowing there were different styles,” he says. “You know, it was old or new. That means a lot to me and it’s what I really want this account to do.”

In 2022, Cooper is planning to develop the Hood Century brand outside of the Instagram account by adding a website stocked with learning tools and merchandise, such as T-shirts and socks printed with buildings

A fan of Instagram accounts like Cincinnati Revealed, Heather Churchman was walking around the Licking Riverside Historic District in Covington when she dreamed up the idea of making her own page for Cincinnati’s southern neighbor.

An ex-librarian and current copywriter, Churchman marries two of her skills: research and storytelling. While other accounts lean more toward discussing architecture, Churchman instead often details interesting tidbits of a house’s previous occupants or architect.

“There are so many people that have passed through our city and these walls, and nobody knows unless somebody finds these stories,” she says.

While some of Churchman’s stories come from people who message her with tips, others are born out of personal inspiration — spaces that catch

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featured in past posts. Cooper also hopes to expand Hood Century’s social media presence to reach a younger audience of digital natives whose online lives center around games.

“The gamification of education is a huge thing,” Cooper says. “(The hope is) to start this thing at the West End library using Roblox and Minecraft.

What if we used those tools to help a kid think about architecture and urban development?”

Many of Cooper’s innovative ideas about education stem from his upbringing in Montessori schools, which stressed meditation, collaboration and testing unique approaches to learning.

Much of that same ethos translates to discussions that take place on his Instagram account.

Though the lexicon of architecture can be imposing and entrenched in theory, Cooper uses memes and vernacular language to reach a wider audience. An animated Instagram story filter created by Cooper superimposes a random architectural style on the user’s head, letting them know whether they’re Bauhaus, De Stijl or Googie — a space age style popular in the ’50s and ’60s. Commenters share stories and initial reactions to buildings, which in turn creates a language of its own. Cooper remembers a particular comment that pointed out a structure’s “Power Rangers vibes.”

“We’ve heard this other voice that gives architecture a voice of elitism and classicism and it doesn’t resonate,” Cooper says. “If you say something like Power Rangers, we're like, ‘Oh, yeah.’

You’ll learn more in the comments than you will from me.”

The exterior of the Radisson in Covington P H OTO : A A RO N ST E R N

Midcentury History Maya Drozdz, who runs the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s Instagram account, says that learning more about the architecture that surrounds us informs more than our aesthetic understanding of the world.

“It can be a lens for understanding race, class, economics and politics as well,” Drozdz tells CityBeat. “Learning a bit about the history of the building, the architects and craftspeople who built these structures, and the broader forces at work that enabled or prevented forms of construction, give us further insight into our present-day context and the past that has shaped it.”

Though most of Cooper’s captions are brief, his posts can act as portals into deeper research. A series of new and archival photos of the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center in Maywood, Illinois, are more than a look at retro design; they’re also a testament to the surviving legacy of the Black Panther Party’s activism. Named after the late party leader who was killed by police

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The Fred Hampton Aquatic Center in Maywood, Illinois P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

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Two historic townhomes in Covington P H OTO : @ C OV I N G TO N _ U N C OV E R E D

her interest or a striking photo taken while walking.

One thing Churchman loves about this work is the sense of community it instills. Peppered throughout her posts are comments remarking that a relative was featured or that they’ve always admired buildings during their own walks.

“It’s cool to feel so in love with where

A historic home in Covington P H OTO : @ C OV I N G TO N _ U N C OV E R E D

Cooper captioned this photo on @HoodMidCenturyModern: “A case study of new media images inspired by @sydevernon’s take on what ‘hood mid century modern’ meant to her.”

you live and helping other people feel the same way,” she says. “There is such joy in just going outside and being like, ‘All these buildings have been here for 150 years.’ It’s so fun to go out and think about what it used to like. It’s something anyone can connect with wherever they are.”

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

in 1969 at the age of 21, the pool realized Hampton’s dream of giving Black Chicagoans a place to swim in a segregated era.

“He was busing kids out of Chicago to Maywood,” Cooper says. “So the city of Maywood raised the money for him to have the center.”

Cooper’s research inspired an upcoming project for the Hood Century brand: designing Fred Hampton Swim Team gear for the pool’s current lifeguards to wear and releasing merchandise like trunks and swim caps for Hood Century’s followers to purchase.

It isn’t the only time pools have played a major role in Cooper’s curation. An Instagram post he made in December features a 1960s TV spot about Miami’s Historic Hampton House. The hotel has been the backdrop for many iconic moments in Black history: the photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. standing shirtless in a swimming pool was taken there. It’s also the spot where Muhammad Ali met with Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm

X to grab ice cream and celebrate Ali’s shocking victory over Sonny Liston.

Due to Jim Crow-era regulations, the Hampton House was the only place the group could convene after dark.

“Until, like, 2007, that hotel looked like a jungle,” Cooper says. “It was dilapidated, the pool had trees bigger than us going through it, and it was not preserved at all. Here’s one of the greatest photos ever seen and then, boom, nobody’s preserving it. It’s a real issue.

I think sometimes we don’t think we have anything to preserve because of the worth things are given.”

Drozdz says that even when a structure has outlived its original purpose, it isn’t useless.

“It simply means that we need to get creative about what purpose they can serve next, so that their stories can continue to be written,” she says. “To that end, it's exciting to see something like a church become a brewery or an old school be converted to housing — physical reminders of our history finding a new place in the present.”

All in the Family On the drive back from Otto’s, Cooper makes sure to point out one building in particular: the West End branch of the Cincinnati Public Library.

Though not a particularly large structure, it’s hard to miss its roof, which wraps around in a zig-zagging pattern.

Built in the same neighborhood Cooper grew up in, he says that the roof might have been his first exposure to Modernist architecture, piquing his aesthetic curiosity. He featured the library on an Instagram post in the spring, but its jagged shape is a major motif on the Hood Century page. A similar design appears in posts with the lunging silhouette of a Dunkin’ Donuts, the angular exterior of an insurance company’s offices and the facade of a bowling alley turned Starbucks.

Everything on Hood Century can be traced back to Cooper’s formative childhood memories, and above all, his family. He often features family members in the spaces he snaps. In a

Hamilton Architecture (@hamiltonarchitecture)

Outside the Roseville Historic District P H O T O : @ H A M I LT O N A R C H I T E C T U R E

Phil Thayer has long made a hobby of walking, especially with his wife and German Shepherd. A native of Fairfield Township, Thayer now resides in the neighboring city of Hamilton. His account functions as a love letter to Hamilton and the unique buildings that populate it.

Thayer created the Instagram account at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to document architectural features around the city, and he scouts

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022 |

CITYBEAT.COM

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The front of the barn seen previously P H O T O : @ H A M I LT O N A R C H I T E C T U R E

most of the places during walks with his dog. Finding content for the account has pushed Thayer to explore more neighborhoods, dip into alleyways and turn down roads he wouldn't normally travel, he says.

In Hamilton Architecture’s feed, viewers will find a little bit of everything: a bright pink building backdropped by blue skies, a periwinkle Victorian home, and faded ads on the sides of buildings.

Thayer recalls one find in September of 2020 — a red barn just outside of the Roseville Historic District. In the photo on his account, a Christmas wreath hangs alongside a worn American flag on the barn’s facade.

A home featured on @HoodMidCenturyModern P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J E R A L D C O O P E R

A historic duplex in Hamilton P H O T O : @ H A M I LT O N A R C H I T E C T U R E

“When I stumbled across that it was like, ‘How did I not know that in the middle of the city, all these houses, there's a massive red barn that sits on the side of the railroad tracks’ It was just a surprising thing to see,” Thayer says. “And it’s super cool.”

Thayer says Hamilton’s uniqueness comes from its old stock of manufacturing buildings and homes from the 1800s and 1900s that are still standing.

Old industrial building in Hamilton P H O T O : @ H A M I LT O N A R C H I T E C T U R E

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post from November, his cousin stands in a warmly lit, open room talking on the phone. Captioned, “lil cuz on his 22nd birthday,” a photo of a skylight sits between another picture of his subject, this time shown lounging in a mostly bare room, save for a painting of flowers.

“Part of what I’ve got going on (in my studio) is that I’m starting to archive my family’s photos,” Cooper says. “I feel like for everybody, old photos are hard to keep up with. With displacement, it’s even harder.”

Another post features a throwback photo from his family archives. Dated 1985 at the since-demolished English Woods public housing, it shows Cooper as a young boy being tossed between two family members. He appears to be flying. The next slide is of the neighborhood’s remains: overgrown grass where homes once were.

“This type of displacement that we’ve been around — going to Avondale, College Hill — doesn't allow us to keep our archives,” Cooper says. “To be able to have the thousands of pictures that I’m working through right now, it makes me feel rich.”

Cooper says many members of his

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

large family had yet to learn about the in-process archive. His mom took photos of everyone growing up, which Cooper says makes him feel like they have a hold of their past. He adds that even though his dad, who passed away four years ago, lived through the 2000s, he doesn’t have a lot of videos of him.

What Cooper does have, he appreciates.

Cooper says he wants to use Hood Century to show real people connected to the places he photographs, like featuring his cousin in a space instead of a professional model.

Back at Cooper’s studio, he rewatches the final draft of a then-yetto-be-released Earl Sweatshirt music video for which he’d done set design and location scouting. The rapper paces through the living room of a glass house and watches the sun set from its lush backyard. Cooper’s studio is decorated similarly. Though the space is forged in concrete and white brick, natural light floods the room, which is barely furnished save for his workspace, a yellow armchair and curiosities heaped in piles throughout — including items salvaged from his childhood church.

It’s this archival ephemera that takes up the most space. Though scattered

throughout the room on pallets and folding tables, there’s order and symmetry in the layout of these items, from his grandfather’s old store membership cards to the April 1967 issue of a magazine called Hi-Lites, which featured Black-run businesses and events.

What might have been the contents of someone’s junk drawer becomes art when carefully arranged for a photo, revealing the character of those who left it behind.

“Archiving, that’s my new shit,” Cooper says. “I’m going to launch a creative strategy studio called That Archival Energy. Think about the (Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center) in Dayton, right? Funk is the uncle of Hip Hop — it’s the most sampled music.

And Funk comes from here. Not only do a lot of us not know that, but what’s the impact of that?

“Cincinnati swagger is the bed of the identification of who one’s self is in Hip Hop. Hopefully the studio I create helps people with archives get into the mainstream and supported.”

Follow Jerald Cooper’s work and Hood Century on Instagram at @HoodMidCenturyModern.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Cosmic Gorilla is a new comic book shop that also serves cocktails — alcoholic and non.

P H OTO : CAS E Y RO B E RT S

Comic Books and Cocktails Findlay Market’s new Cosmic Gorilla comic and board game shop is dedicated to nerds of all ages

BY S E A N M . P E T E RS

C

osmic Gorilla is a new comic book and board game shop at Findlay Market that not only offers the latest issues of your favorite superhero’s adventures, but also a full bar with signature cocktails — both fortified and non-alcoholic.

This is the latest venture from Gorilla Cinema Presents, the company behind La Ofrenda, Tokyo Kitty, Tiki Tiki Bang Bang, Lonely Pine Steakhouse and Overlook Lodge.

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Walk through the door on a sunny afternoon and you’re treated to a bright and welcoming front room, tastefully laid out to feature shelves bedecked with comic books and graphic novels.

There’s also an imposing life-size Darth Vader statue in the middle of the room (he’s not for sale). To your right is the cashier’s counter, decorated with a retro Silver Surfer mural. The shop aims for a boutique experience with regularly

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

rotated inventory, and the overall aesthetic is clean and well organized — a delight for fans of Marvel, DC, indie publishers and tabletop gaming.

The overriding drive behind Cosmic Gorilla is to create a family-friendly destination, says managing owner Greg Newman. Gorilla Cinema Presents’ owner, Jacob Trevino, echoes that.

“We wanted to appeal to families and we want to appeal to something that we felt was missing in the market,” Trevino tells CityBeat. “We see so many people of all ages come down to enjoy one of the tourist attractions of Cincinnati, which is Findlay Market itself.”

Gorilla Cinema’s tequila bar La Ofrenda is just a short walk from Cosmic Gorilla. Operating that space,which opened at the end of 2019, gave Trevino’s team a new perspective on

the evolving needs of Findlay Market visitors. And while the bar caters to grown–ups, Trevino began to notice there weren’t destinations to hang out at the market geared toward everyone, including kids.

“For so many of the other shops, you grab your product and leave,” Trevino says. “How do you create a space where we can celebrate pop culture, we celebrate gaming culture, we can celebrate all these things…and provide a place for the community to come gather — not just 21 and up, but all ages?”

He accomplished that at Cosmic Gorilla through a combination of expertly curated retail shelves — the comics and board games and action figures — and the back bar’s cocktail menu.

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Cosmic Gorilla is the latest concept from the Gorilla Cinema Presents team, which also runs La Ofrenda, Tokyo Kitty, Tiki Tiki Bang Bang, Overlook Lodge and more.

P H OTO : CAS E Y RO B E RT S

in Cosmic Gorilla, you enter a back bar, which Trevino and Newman call “Capes + Cloaks.” It serves cocktails, mocktails and beer. The menu was written for mocktails first and then guests can add spirits to any of them. The idea behind this was to have a comprehensive menu of elaborately concocted drinks that could be enjoyed by everyone.

Each drink name on the menu pays homage to comic book references, sure to spark a few conversations between fellow fans. “Agatha All Along” is a citrusy beverage made with a dry ice infusion that appears to have been hexed by Agatha Harkness, the “nosy neighbor” and villain of the Disney+ series WandaVision. The hard version of the drink is made with citrus vodka, cranberry, grapefruit, lime and agave nectar.

Cosmic Gorilla plans to have weekly events intended to attract repeat visits, with activities such as watch parties for shows like The Book of Boba Fett, monthly trivia and world-building exercises for Dungeons & Dragons-style “dungeon masters” (DMs) looking for

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inspiration in the creation of their next campaign.

“I’m going to host World-Building Wednesdays every Wednesday night,” Newman says. “What our company does is create worlds. Instead of playing a campaign of D&D, I’ve created a stack of, like, 150 cards with different things on them like tavern, castle, forest and then I’m going to draw one randomly and we’re going to collectively build that. The goal being, maybe you have writer’s block as a DM and now you can discuss with other DMs or other people how to get through that or you can take what we’ve built and add into your game that you’re playing at home.”

With a creative cocktail menu, plenty of comics and board games and a comfortable space to enjoy it all in, Cosmic Gorilla is positioned to become a nerdy oasis in Cincinnati.

Cosmic Gorilla, 1834 Race St., Over-the-Rhine/Findlay Market, gorillaverse.com.

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

The bar offers inventive mocktails, which also can be made with alcohol.

P H OTO : CAS E Y RO B E RT S

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Visuals by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

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FIND YOUR NEW

BEST FRIEND

AT OUR 11

TH

ANNUAL

MEGA PET ADOPTION EVENT

FEB 12 & 13 SHARONVILLE CONVENTION CENTER

NEARLY

MyFurryValentine.com 20

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Will you be that 1 in 10?

Each year, 6.5 million animals enter shelters nationwide, patiently, hopefully, waiting to catch the eye of a potential adopter. But many Americans still get their pets from places other than rescues and shelters, and so an estimated 2,700 animals die in shelters every day. Statistics reveal that there are over 10 times as many people looking to bring an animal into their home every year as there are animals being killed in shelters because they lack one.

If just 1 out of every 10 people bringing an animal into their family were to adopt from a shelter or rescue, not one single healthy dog or cat would lose his or her life in a shelter.

Will you be that 1 in 10?

OUR STORY M

y Furry Valentine provides a forum for bringing together animals in need of a home with people willing to give them one.

Since our inception in 2012, we have helped facilitate the adoption of more than 7,000 animals from reputable animal shelters and rescues, and our Cincinnati event has grown to become one of the largest animal adoption events in the country!

The need for pet adoption is great here in Cincinnati and nationwide.

Every day, an average of 2,700 cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters across the United States. With every adoption, every foster, every spay and neuter, and every donation to an animal rescue cause, we are one step closer to a day when there is no more shelter euthanasia, and no longer a need for a mega pet adoption.

But until that day comes, we at My Furry Valentine are committed to our efforts to educate our community on the importance of animal adoption,

provide resources to help adopters in their efforts to find their new furry family member, and to offer the opportunity in a fun, festive, familyfriendly environment, for you to find your new best friend.

When you make the decision to adopt an animal, you are saving two lives — the life of the animal you adopt and the life of the animal that takes its place at a shelter or rescue. That’s pretty rewarding, and a goal everyone can support. With companion animals of all shapes, ages, sizes, breeds and dispositions, you’re sure to find your perfect match at My Furry Valentine. Come join us February 12th & 13th!

To find out more about My Furry Valentine, please visit www.myfurryvalentine.com.

$5 General Admission: Saturday & Sunday 12-5 pm $25 Early Bird Admission: Saturday 10am - noon $5 Early Bird Admission for Children 5+

Tickets available online at myfurryvalentine.ticketleap.com or at the door.

More than 20 shelters and rescue groups participating and nearly 1,000 adoptable animals under one roof.

Free swag bag for every adopted animal!

All animals spayed/ neutered and up-to-date on vaccinations!

Special cat & kitten subsidy program means that most cats will be available for same-day adoptions at a fee of only $25.

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022 |

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SPONSORS

Ashland Animal Rescue Fund

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Official checklist for new adopters Before the Event

Day of Event

Determine if you can afford and have time to take care of a pet and that all family members are in agreement Consider the kind of pet you want (small or large, active or couch potato, etc.)

22

Bring photo ID. Be prepared to cover adoption costs, which vary by group Bring your veterinarian’s contact information if you’re already a pet parent

Browse our online pet gallery (myfurryvalentine.com) to begin your search

Bring proof that you can have a pet if you rent (e.g., copy of lease agreement or letter from landlord)

Read up on organizations you’re considering adopting from to understand their application process and requirements

Do NOT bring your own animals. Follow-up meet & greets will be arranged if necessary

Consider submitting an application in advance to help facilitate an adoption at the event

Have an open mind – the Valentine you take home might be different than the one you envisioned

CITYBEAT.COM

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

After the Event Be careful when transporting your new animal home, paying particular attention when entering/exiting a vehicle and with open doors in their new surroundings Set your pet up with the shelter, food and toys it needs to be comfortable in your home Pet-proof the space your new pet will be spending his time Give your new companion time and training to adjust to their new surroundings

Adoption 101 What is the difference between buying an animal and adopting?

What if I don't meet the application requirements?

If you’re considering getting a new pet, we urge you to adopt instead of buying a pet from an online retailer, pet store or backyard breeder. Note that many pet stores work with local shelters and rescue groups and have dogs and cats for adoption, while others still sell animals sourced through commercial breeding facilities, (aka: puppy mills). Please be sure you recognize the difference.

By adopting from an animal shelter or rescue group, you are ensuring that you are not supporting and endorsing the inhumane puppy mills that supply pet stores and sell pets online. As an extra bonus, you are doing your part to fight pet overpopulation and save homeless animals from euthanasia. Buying a pet can easily cost $500 - $1,500, while adoption costs generally range from $50 - $250. At MFV, adopted pets have been fully vaccinated and their adoption fee includes spaying or neutering, and in many cases, microchipping.

At My Furry Valentine, the adoption process and applications vary from group to group because we honor each individual groups’ standard adoption process. We trust that they know what works best for their population of animals. If you find that you don’t or can’t meet a specific requirement (like a fenced-in yard or a mandatory meet & greet with your existing pet), remember that there are many other groups there ready to help you. There will never be a better opportunity for you to find your new best friend!

Why do animals end up in shelters?

There is a common misperception there is something inherently wrong with shelter animals. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Animals in shelters lose their homes for a variety of reasons, usually having nothing to do with their behavior or temperament, but more due to the fact that their owners are unable to keep them for reasons including the novelty of owning a pet wears off, allergies, death of a guardian, a new baby, divorce, loss of a job, a move, change in work schedule, and other lifestyle changes.

Is it hard to adopt?

Why do they ask so many questions?

You’ll find that the application process and requirements for adoption vary from group to group. Please keep in mind that while shelters and rescues want to find homes for as many animals as possible, they also want to ensure that the animals find a lasting home. Maybe your future companion needs lots of space, requires a lot of exercise, prefers to share their home with other furry friends or needs to be an only pet. The only way to make the perfect match for you and the animal is to ask lots of questions.

Why would I adopt an older animal?

When you adopt an older pet, you avoid some of the challenges inherent in bringing home a puppy or kitten.

Their appearance, behavior and health are already established so there are no surprises. Older animals at shelters need homes just as much as younger ones, and since many people are quick to adopt young animals, adopting an older animal may save its life.

Aren't there benefits to getting dogs from breeders because you know the animal's bloodline and family history?

“First know that, as a result of their breeding, purebred dogs very often have genetic disorders and medical issue predispositions, certainly no less often than shelter dogs. Puppies born in puppy mills are usually removed from their mothers at just six weeks of age, denying them critical socialization, and housed in overcrowded and unsanitary wire-floored cages, without adequate veterinary care, food or water. Make no mistake: anything purchased at a pet store that sells animals—even supplies—is keeping this vicious industry in business.”

- ASPCA

See you there!

MyFurryValentine.com JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022 |

CITYBEAT.COM

23

Found Footage Fest Mines VHS Oddities for Laughs

ARTS & CULTURE

BY A L L I S O N BA B K A

The Found Footage Festival unloads vintage VHS weirdness into audiences’ brains.

P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F O U N D F O O TA G E F E S T I VA L

These days, when you stumble across the perfect meme or hilarious clips, it’s no big deal to share them. A few taps on your phone will send things flying through texts or social media sites.

But a couple of decades ago, things weren’t quite so easy. To see the weirdest, funniest, most talked-about videos, people actually had to — gasp!

— find the one local human who had the goods, go to their house and watch the hilarity together on an old-school VHS tape.

It’s a quaint notion in the Internet age — one that the Found Footage Festival wants to bring back.

The Found Footage Festival tours the world with truckloads of videocassettes from the 1980s and 1990s that have been scavenged from thrift shops, yard sales and like-minded fans of oddities.

Hosts Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett — friends since age 10 and both comedy writers — compile the best, weirdest, most outlandish clips from their massive stash and re-create the friendly living-room vibe while offering Mystery Science Theatre 3000-style commentary about the home movies, beefcake cooking tips and fast-food training videos that the audience watches together.

Prueher tells CityBeat that it all started in their local resale shops with finding some answering machine tapes and a few videocassettes featuring Mr. T offering life lessons.

“We would have friends over in our

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parents’ basements in high school and have viewing parties, and Joe and I would develop a running commentary of jokes and observations,” Prueher says, adding that the practice continued even after college while they had “regular jobs.”

The pair eventually developed the idea into a stage show in 2004, and the festival has shown no signs of slowing down ever since — that is, except for during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prueher and Pickett canceled several dozen tour dates in 2021 due to rising COVID numbers throughout the country, but now that more people are vaccinated and venues have put safety protocols in place, the duo is eager to get back on the road and show off their most recent finds, including some that come from fans.

“People know us as the repository for these special-interest VHS tapes, so every week in the mail, we get three or four giant boxes of tapes from people all over the world that said, ‘I can’t do anything with these, but I know they’ll be in good hands with you,’” Prueher says.

The Found Footage Festival will bring along some Ohio-centric laughs when it stops at Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall on Thursday, Feb. 3, including a special segment that will make its debut in the Queen City. “The First Annual Martin Carlton Stunt Special” is a home movie from the ’80s that actor and comedian David Cross gave to Prueher and Pickett

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Joe Pickett (left) and Nick Prueher on stage in Milwaukee P H OTO : E R I K L J U N G

Pudgie Wudgie, the world-famous cat P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F O U N D F O O TA G E F E S T I VA L

Miss Junior America Wisconsin 1988 P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F O U N D F O O TA G E F E S T I VA L

after receiving it chain-mail style.

“It was sort of a tape-traded video,” Prueher says. “Before the Internet, one weirdo would make a dub and give it to another weirdo. Bobcat Goldthwait got it originally and then it made its way to Bob Odenkirk, Penn Jillette, David Cross, and then eventually into our hands.”

In the original video, which was filmed in a backyard near Cleveland, a boy named Martin attempts to jump from one tree to another. “It does not go well,” Prueher hints.

The tape became legendary in trader circles, so in December, Prueher and Pickett tracked down Martin — now a man — and convinced him to perform a second installment of the “Martin Carlton Stunt Special” in the backyard where the original was filmed. He says the festival will debut that mini-documentary during the Cincinnati show.

“He walked us through the whole thing. He gave us the rundown of what happened, what he was thinking,” Prueher says. “It had been 34 years, (so) we figured it was high time for the secondannual (video). He was a great sport.”

The Found Footage Festival also will share an event that Ohio would rather forget: Balloonfest ’86, which saw millions of balloons released in Cleveland.

Intended to be a fundraiser and publicity stunt, the event actually ended up being a disaster for the city and for Lake

Erie. Prueher says the festival will showcase local footage documenting the environmental and civic debacle that was the subject of multiple lawsuits.

“It’s the most Cleveland video you could possibly have,” Prueher says.

Prueher says he and Pickett will mine for gold in Cincinnati’s resale shops while they’re in town, hoping to hit upon yet more nuggets that perfectly capture the absurdity of their vintage years. The hunt is not something that Prueher thinks will end anytime soon, despite having thousands of unwatched videos at the Found Footage Festival office and storage unit in Brooklyn.

“We always think after we put together a show and take it on the road, ‘Well, we’ve found all the dumb videos.

That’s it. Time to move on.’ But then we’re like, ‘Oh, God, no, there’s so much more,’” Prueher says. “You find one thing after watching a week of unredeemable crap, one thing that you just cannot wait to show somebody. And that’s why we keep doing it.”

The Found Footage Festival will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine). Attendees must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours. More info: foundfootagefest.com.

Chicago Party P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F O U N D F O O TA G E F E S T I VA L

Former wrestler Sgt. Slaughter P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E F O U N D F O O TA G E F E S T I VA L

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FOOD & DRINK

Starlight Doughnut Lab just opened a brick-and-mortar in Norwood.

P H OTO : ST E P H A N I E S CA R B RO U G H

Sweet Success Norwood’s new Starlight Doughnut Lab sells out of its creatively flavored baked goods in less than two hours on opening day

BY M A I JA Z U M M O

I

f opening weekends are any indication of success, Starlight Doughnut Lab’s future is glaringly bright.

On Jan. 15, Starlight opened up shop at 4603 Carter Ave. in Norwood, the first brick-and-mortar for the popular pop-up.

“On opening day we had a line out the door and around the block from when we opened at 9 a.m. until we sold out at 10:45 a.m.,” owner/baker Ben Greiwe tells CityBeat. “My co-owner Jack Nowlin and I scrambled to make free donut cards to give to the people

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that waited in line but missed out on donuts. We wanted to make sure people knew we appreciated them coming out and supporting us.”

Starlight has been in operation since the start of January 2019, when Greiwe made some donuts for a New Year’s Eve party at Nine Giant Brewpub in Pleasant Ridge. After positive feedback, he began selling them weekly at the brewery. Since then, Greiwe’s smallbatch baked goods have been available at destinations including Nine Giant and its Fermentorium, Apricot Coffee

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

House in Pleasant Ridge, Proud Hound in Silverton, Copper & Flame in Overthe-Rhine and more. He even made donuts for CityBeat’s annual Brunched event — a raspberry mimosa donut featuring a champagne glaze with “dry ice to carbonate the raspberries to give the donut that bubbly, mimosa feeling,” Greiwe says.

Starlight’s treats are made a little differently than your average donut.

Greiwe uses mashed potatoes in the dough, which “boosts moisture, sweetness, flavor and adds a crispy outside layer thanks to the potato’s natural sugars caramelizing in the fryer,” he says. He says the flavor combos and that unique texture set Starlight apart from other local donut purveyors.

The Norwood storefront offers both cake donuts and 48-hour brioche donuts. Greiwe hopes to eventually expand the menu to include cinnamon rolls, fritters and more pastries. But

for now, guests can look forward to six “staple” flavors and six unique monthly flavors. The always-on-themenu options are a churro donut, a vanilla-glazed donut with sprinkles, a chocolate-glazed donut with sprinkles, a double-chocolate donut with sprinkles, a raspberry-lemonade donut and an everything bagel donut with garlic-herb goat cheese.

“My favorite flavor we’ve ever done is our everything bagel with garlic-herb goat cheese filling,” Greiwe says. “This is made with our 48-hour brioche and is a late addition to our staples. I made them for my family’s Christmas Eve party this year, and after I tried them, I knew we had to have these in the store every day.”

For January, patrons can also try donuts in the following flavors: carrot cake, dreamsicle, lemon poppyseed, maple butternut squash, brownie batter and raspberry-jam-filled (this

Starlight founder Ben Greiwe

Starlight sold 700 donuts its first day in business.

P H OTO : ST E P H A N I E S CA R B RO U G H

P H OTO : ST E P H A N I E S CA R B RO U G H

There are six staple donut flavors — including an everything bagel brioche donut with garlic-herb goat cheese filling — and six monthly specials.

P H OTO : ST E P H A N I E S CA R B RO U G H

is a brioche donut). Greiwe also plans to have one vegan flavor available per week and, starting in March, one gluten-free flavor per month. “We still have to do a couple test batches to get it perfected,” he says of the gluten-free option.

In addition to donuts, Starlight serves local Proud Hound coffee.

For two years, Greiwe and his team have been renovating the petite white building where Starlight is located.

“When picking out our storefront location, I was looking for a neighborhood that was on the rise, close to my house and didn’t have any direct donut competition,” he says. “In the time we have owned the building, we have seen Norwood grow with new restaurants, new apartments and want to be a part of that growth. We plan on being an active member of the Norwood family.”

While the majority of space is taken

up by baking operations, the shop does offer a front counter area for ordering grab-and-go, plus a table and two chairs. Greiwe also just made room for more baking supplies to be able to increase the amount of donuts Starlight can make.

“On Saturday, we sold roughly 700 donuts. And on Sunday, we sold roughly 750,” he says of opening weekend. “After we closed on Sunday, we ordered a proofing cabinet, 12 more pans and racks and another pan holder.

In the coming weeks, when all the new equipment arrives, we will be able to increase our production. ” While he doesn’t have a background in baking, Greiwe says he fell in love with it after his brother, Nick, “sparked a passion for cooking in me.”

“Getting to see him have fun in the kitchen with his friends is one of my favorite memories,” he says. “I lost my

brother when I was 18 and (it) really changed my outlook on life. I no longer wanted to just work at a job; I wanted to find my passion. It took me a while, but when I cook, I’m at peace. I feel like Nick is right there with me.”

Starlight’s donuts will still be available at Nine Giant, with the possibility of adding more stops in the future. Greiwe also hopes to expand his relationship with local farmers to grab more fresh veggies and fruits to add to his baked goods.

But, for now, he is ready to focus on his storefront.

“To be honest, (opening this bakery) is one of the most exciting/terrifying things I’ve ever done,” Greiwe told CityBeat before opening. “Up until Saturday, this has been a dream — we’ve been able to work other jobs and have this as a growing side hustle — but that all changes on Jan. 15. We get to find

out if this donut shop can succeed and support our family operation.”

So far, it looks like his dreams are coming true.

“After the opening, we are over the moon with excitement,” Greiwe says.

“The amount of love and support shown to us over the weekend is insane.

So many Norwood natives came out and welcomed us to the neighborhood.

And, honestly, we feel hopeful that this turnout will allow us to keep growing and experimenting with flavors.”

Hailey Bollinger contributed to this story.

Starlight Doughnut Lab is located at 4603 Carter Ave., Norwood. Get more info at facebook.com/starlightdoughnutlab.

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THE DISH

Dope! Asian Street Fare Exemplifies the Success of Cincinnati’s Asian Food Week, a Celebration of Culture and Cuisine

BY L E Y L A S H O KO O H E

Greater Cincinnati’s Asian Food Week returns for its third iteration Jan. 31-Feb. 6, coinciding this year with the Lunar New Year.

Created by Asianati, an outfit dedicated to promoting and advancing Asian restaurants and businesses in the region (operating in tandem with the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati), Asian Food Week is an expansion of Asian Food Fest. But in its third iteration, it’s safe to say Asian Food Week stands on its own merits.

“It’s overall a celebration and representation of our culture,” says Sam Burke, the social media manager and photographer for Asianati. “This year, we decided to pair up Asian Food Week along with Lunar New Year, which is Feb. 1, and a holiday celebrated by a lot of Asian countries and a lot of Asian-Americans, so we thought it would be a natural pairing.”

The last two years have been particularly challenging for restaurants and the service industry as a whole, but the wave of anti-Asian hate crimes in late 2020 and 2021 have made navigating a pandemic and staying afloat even more challenging for Asian-owned businesses.

“Some restaurants deal with prank calls and large orders that are never picked up or receive calls of harassment, so (this offers) overall a sense of support and solidarity,” Burke says.

Asian Food Week highlights the diverse array of Asian restaurants in the Greater Cincinnati region; this year, more than 40 restaurants are participating. Customers can order a three-course prix fixe meal at $20 or $30 or “secret menu” items not typically offered at the restaurant. The secret menu special is a nod to the unlisted menu often found at many Asian restaurants across the country that includes traditional dishes that may not conform to mainstream American tastes.

“You could see that a lot with ChineseAmerican restaurants,” Burke says. “There was a time where the American palate wasn’t as into traditional Chinese food — (they) were trying to appeal to American palates, which skewed sweet. These places would have a secret menu for their customers that did want more authentic, traditional reminders of home.”

“So the secret menu is a fun way for these restaurants to do something different that you can’t normally find on their menus,” Burke continues. “Thankfully now, you’re seeing more of a welcoming and curiosity toward more authentic and more adventurous takes on Asian food.”

The countries represented by participating restaurants span the whole of the Asian continent. While the Far East is the region of Asia with the most populous restaurant representation locally, Asian fare also means Indian food, Middle Eastern food, Tibetan food and various fusion offerings.

Dope! Asian Street Fare has made its reputation by melding the popular street foods of several Asian cities, citing Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore and more among its inspirations. In the two

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years since the Dope! coterie participated in the first Asian Food Week, they’ve expanded from their original location in the Kroger On the Rhine food hall into Anderson and Hyde Park and also opened Decibel, a new Korean fried chicken outfit with a brick-and-mortar location in Walnut Hills.

Their success was not without pandemic-related pitfalls.

“It’s brutal,” says Kam Siu, owner and founder of Dope!. “I think Mapi (De Veyra, operating partner of Decibel) and I, we put in — I think we lost count. At some point we just stopped counting how many hours we put in, just so we could control labor, fill in the shortages and just keep the operation going. We knew we had to get through it, and we were just fortunate to have the team that we have underneath us.”

Maintaining five restaurants with a great team is fine, but the food has to be good, too. Luckily for Dope!, their fusion menu — including ramen, bao buns, wings, okonomiyaki and more — has hit a sweet spot, occupying the middle of the Venn diagram of the appeal of street food with the panache of in-house attention.

But if the recipe for success had already been so clearly laid out, why venture into a more narrowly focused cuisine, like that of Decibel and its unique Korean fried chicken offering?

“Because Dope! encompasses so many of the different countries and flavor profiles around Asia, it didn’t really make sense to do a similar concept to it, because it’s already been done,” says Siu. “But we knew the Korean fried chicken, at the time we looked at it, was just expanding and growing really, really fast. All the statistics, everything is there. There’s no reason why we need to go beyond Korean fried chicken.”

“Let’s just really focus on one concept, one particular style of cooking, and be the best that we can be at this,” Siu continues.

“And now, we’re the first Korean fried chicken here in Cincinnati, with two locations. We’re hoping to do more locations later on.”

Korean fried chicken is wildly crunchy and incredibly good, thanks to its twicefried airy batter. At Decibel, you can select from four different chicken “preps,” including dry spice, gochujang barbecue, spicy or garlic soy, served as tenders, wings or drumsticks. You also can select a KFC sammie, gojuchang and soy-cured cukes, zesty waffle fries, Korean rice and a few other side dishes.

Decibel’s Walnut Hills location recently began offering a Sunday brunch, including a Korean fried chicken and ube waffle.

For Asian Food Week, Dope! shines a spotlight on different Asian cultures (Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese) with three-course meals featuring wings, dumplings and ramen or rice bowls, all for $25.

Part of the Homeskillet Corp. restaurant group, Dope! may have started out as an Asian food venture, but it has become a panoplist representation of individual

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Bridges Nepali Cuisine is one of 40-plus restaurants participating in Asian Food Week.

P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX

Dope! has seen tremendous growth since they participated in the first Asian Food Week.

P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX

Maki Express Ramen House is offering a secret menu item for Asian Food Week.

P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX

Asian countries. The group’s ascension in the region’s restaurant culture has transcended any kind of lingering cuisine restrictions, and their ethos and attitude toward food calls to mind a younger, scrappier version of the Thunderdome Restaurant Group (Bakersfield, The Eagle, Maplewood, Pepp & Dolores, Currito, CityBird and Krueger’s).

Siu, De Veyra and other members of the Homeskillet team aren’t resting on any laurels. They recently acquired the

Pelican’s Reef in Anderson — which Siu says they purchased for its welcoming culture and 20-plus years in business — and have robust future plans, including another Dope! location and a move into the Filipino food market.

Asian Food Week runs Jan. 31-Feb. 6 in Greater Cincinnati.

More info: asianati.com.

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THE DISH

Restaurant News: Recent Openings and Closings

BY S E A N M . P E T E RS A N D C IT Y B E AT STA F F

Downtown’s Fred & Gari’s, Total Juice Plus to Close Lunch won’t be the same in the Central Business District, as two decades-old staples are being told to leave their storefronts. Both Total Juice Plus and Fred & Gari’s have said they will close their doors by the end of January.

Emil Mallat received a note from his landlord on Nov. 12 saying that Total Juice Plus, the business his father Joseph started 24 years ago and which he co-owns, had to vacate its storefront at 631 Vine St. by the end of this January. Fred & Gari’s, the deli soup and sandwich takeout joint next door, received a similar ultimatum.

Mallat tells CityBeat there was one option their landlord, 1W7 CARPARK, LLC, offered him: Total Juice Plus could move to an adjacent location in the building it has occupied since June of 1998 if Mallat and his father agreed to a 300% rent hike.

The letter to Total Juice Plus, which Mallat provided to CityBeat, reads in part: “On June 1st, 1998 Landlord and Tenant entered into a lease which currently stands as a month to month agreement, where the landlord or tenant may give 30 days to terminate the lease. We ask that you would be out of the space no later than January 31, 2022. We do, however, have another option if you would like to remain a tenant in our building in an adjacent space. We’d like to the (sic) opportunity to discuss future building plans and review the following terms with you as soon as possible.”

This comes at a time when Total Juice Plus is only seeing 50% of its regular income due to the pandemic’s influence on city foot traffic, says Mallat.

Total Juice Plus has been a mainstay of the weekday lunch rush downtown for more than two decades, offering healthy menu items like wraps, freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices and all-natural nonfat smoothies. The Mallat family has owned and operated this business at the Vine Street location since it opened.

“When we moved in and up until about three years ago, we were leasing and had a strong relationship with Macy’s,” Mallat says, referring to the building’s previous owner. “We never missed payments. We were paid ahead, in fact, by three months.”

“Now this, the timing and neglect of compassion or decency,” he says. “They never gave us warning or a heads up of a project or anything. Sent us a note like an elementary student.”

Fred & Gari’s has served food at 629 Vine St. since 1987, first as a ZZ’s Pizza Company franchise, then independently in 1994. The business’s daily rotating assortment of soups, pizza and classic deli sandwiches draw lines out the door on a regular basis.

“I knew that it was going to happen sooner or later, but I didn’t know when,” says Gari Jager, owner of Fred & Gari’s.

“They had the option to do that,” he says

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of the terms of the lease.

Macy’s sold the garage and merchant levels of its building on the 600 block of Vine Street to 1W7 CARPARK, LLC in 2018, according to property records.

1W7 CARPARK, LLC did not respond to multiple CityBeat inquiries.

According to 1W7 CARPARK, LLC’s note that Mallat shared, Total Juice Plus was engaged in a month-to-month agreement where either the landlord or the business could give 30 days notice to terminate the lease. Mallat has sought legal advice but doesn’t believe anything will change the outcome. He says his father suffered an anxiety attack over the holidays because of the note instead of celebrating as the family had hoped.

“Twenty four years serving Cincinnati, only to be shrugged off as if we were college tenants in an apartment,” Mallat says. “We are absolutely crushed, but we are making it, smiling, going on as best we can.”

There’s no certainty as to what will happen next for the two businesses; neither are sure what the public could do to help them at this time, though Jager says he will start to look for a new location to reopen after taking a much-deserved vacation in February.

“Things happen for a reason,” Jager says, “and it’s going to get better.”

Total Juice Plus, 631 Vine St., totaljuicecincy.com. Fred & Gari’s, 629 Vine St., facebook.com/FredGaris.

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey in Pendleton Gets Second Chance After announcing earlier this month he would have to close his flagship restaurant, chef Christian Gill says Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey in Pendleton is getting a second chance.

In a Jan. 21 Facebook post, Gill wrote, “The outpouring of love and support from the community has been overwhelming and we are taking another shot to save the biscuits that Christian and PJ worked so hard to bring to downtown Cincinnati.”

Earlier in January, Gill said he was going to have to shutter Boomtown’s Pendleton restaurant due to fallout from the pandemic and “all of the surrounding circumstances that have plagued the industry over the last two years.” (There is a second Boomtown location in Union, Kentucky.)

Now, he says he’s looking to implement a crowdfunding formula to support Boomtown and to let the public own shares in the eatery.

The news comes just after the one-year anniversary of Boomtown proprietor PJ Neumann’s death, whom Gill mentions in his post. Previously, Gill called Boomtown “PJ’s dream come to fruition,” and said in his post, “With the anniversary of PJ’s passing, we knew we had to come up with something to try and keep the gold in

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Total Juice Plus P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / T O TA L J U I C E P L U S

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

Pendleton.”

“We are grateful to have this chance to risk it for the biscuit and provide 24k service for Biscuit Brunch in downtown Cincinnati,” he added.

The restaurant will be adjusting its hours for now, reopening Jan. 27 and starting daily service Jan. 31. 1201 Broadway St., Pendleton, boomtownbiscuitsandwhiskey.com.

Alabama Fish Bar Reopens After Renovations A fishy favorite has reopened in Over-the-Rhine.

Alabama Fish Bar announced on Facebook that the restaurant would be back serving the “best fried fish in Cincinnati” starting Jan. 19.

The three-decade-old eatery closed in October of 2021 to undergo renovations after entering a new lease with 3CDC. The acquisition was part of 3CDC’s $50 million Willkommen project, which includes building/rehabbing several buildings across Over-the-Rhine to create 163 residential units (with some

affordable units) and nearly 20,000 square feet of commercial space.

Out of the deal, Alabama Fish Bar got a refreshed storefront, new flooring and paint and some new kitchen equipment.

Another update? The business now takes credit cards.

Anna Fillis, owner of Alabama Fish Bar, said at the time of the closure that planning had taken a little while but the renovations would be worth the wait.

“Things take time, and if you want something done right, you can’t rush into it,” Fillis said. “It’s been about three years in the making, but I’m happy for the change and excited for the future.”

Alabama Fish Bar actually started as a pizza-by-the-slice shop (which served other bites as well), but after a successful staff meal of fried whiting became a regular occurrence in the kitchen — with a Fillis’ family-recipe batter — the establishment eventually found its niche.

Alabama Fish Bar now offers three different fish on its menu: cod, whiting and ocean perch, as well as french fries and slaw.

Alabama Fish Bar, 1601 Race St., Overthe-Rhine, facebook.com/alabamafishbar.

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MUSIC

Alice Cooper P H OTO : J E N N Y R I S H E R

Super Cooper Rocker Alice Cooper returns to Cincinnati with his latest album Detroit Stories along with tales of his sixdecade career

BY B R I A N BA K E R

E

very aspect of an Alice Cooper tour is planned with an almost hypercritical sense of deliberation.

Take a look at the poster for Cooper’s current tour, a continuation of last fall’s run of 25 East Coast dates; there’s no title given to the tour — the only words, beyond Cincinnati’s Jan. 28 stop and other upcoming dates, are Cooper’s name and “Detroit Muscle,” located on the vanity license plate on the front bumper of a tricked-out Mustang.

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When addressing the question of whether or not Detroit Muscle is indeed the tour’s official designation, Cooper notes that the phrase is merely an identifier for the Motor City’s innate strength (“The plate is the fact that, in Detroit, it’s all about muscle cars and muscle music, so it’s making the statement that it’s all about Hard Rock,” he says). Then he reveals the cookie within the poster’s design.

“That’s my Mustang,” Cooper tells

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

CityBeat of the grill illustration directly under his name. “I’ve got a ‘68 Bullitt Mustang that I had built, and it looks exactly like the one in the (Steve McQueen) movie (Bullitt). I even toyed with the idea of putting bullet holes in it. A 600 HP Coyote engine in it. It’s a beast.”

Just like the car’s owner.

Cooper’s reputation for wildly inventive and exhaustively athletic stage shows is the stuff of legend, but the pandemic forced the Vincent Price of Rock & Roll to mothball his touring activities.

“We did 25 cities down the East Coast last fall, but before that we had 18 months off,” Cooper says. “We’re used to doing 200 shows a year, and having 18 months off, we were going insane.”

The current jaunt ostensibly

promotes last year’s brilliant Detroit Stories album, but is actually a showcase for some of the best songs of Cooper’s long, illustrious career.

Detroit Stories was a surprise to fans and critics alike, hewing closer to Cooper’s Hard Rock roots and featuring contributions from MC5’s Wayne Kramer, Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, Mitch Ryder/Rockets drummer Johnny Badanjek, Blues master Joe Bonamassa and, on two tracks, even help from the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper band.

The album shocked even Cooper himself when it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. It also cracked the top 50 of the overall Billboard 200 chart as well as the top 10 of the industry bible’s Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums and Independent

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WWW.CITYBEAT.COM

February 8

Memorial Hall Tickets On Sale Now! Be part of another Longworth-Anderson Series evening of great music, food, and drink. Complimentary pre-concert reception features live music from Brianna Kelly, light bites, and craft beer tastings from HighGrain Brewing Co. Get tickets ($35-$50) at memorialhallotr.com or call 513-977-8838 (Tues-Fri, 1-6pm) 34

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Albums charts.

“We wanted to do a Hard Rock album, but we couldn’t do that in Nashville or L.A. or New York. We had to do it in Detroit,” Cooper says. “Once we got there, it started taking on a different personality. When I get with (producer) Bob Ezrin and the idea is good, generally the album shows up and it does really well.”

“Detroit Stories had an impact because there’s history there,” Cooper continues. “Somebody reminded us that it was the 50th anniversary of Love It to Death, which was our first hit record which we did in Detroit. It was a total coincidence but something drew us back there. Maybe there was some kind of synchronicity.”

As usual, Cooper’s road spectacle has a lot of moving parts requiring Herculean efforts by an enormous crew, a tricky proposition in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like everything else in his life, Cooper is more than prepared for the task at hand.

“We’ve got 53 people on the road, we got tested every night, everybody was triple vaxxed, and not one person got sick,” Cooper says. “We kept a bubble but not a tight bubble. We didn’t have any VIPs backstage, but we were off playing golf in the morning, we went to malls and went to movies. It just goes to show, if you’re triple vaxxed, you’re not letting much in.”

As noted, this tour tangentially coincides with 2021’s Detroit Stories, but the current live set list only offers up a couple of songs from Cooper’s most recent album. After 50-plus years and 28 band and solo albums — he’s currently at work on two more, “to make it an even 30” — assembling a set and a running order that will please every fan is nearly impossible.

“It’s the hardest thing in the world.

It’s the same for the Who or the Rolling Stones or anyone who’s been around for 50 years,” Cooper says. “All of our records are the soundtrack to somebody’s life. I hear a Stones song and go, ‘Oh, I know what car I had.’ But I’m not really thinking, ‘Well, Alice, you’ve been around that long. People will want to hear something from Easy Action.’ We can’t go that far back, but we do try to find good stage songs that fit this show.”

“This show has a storyline in it, so I have to go, ‘What’s a good stage hook?’

A song like ‘Generation Landslide’ is a great record, with a great lyric, but we’ve tried it onstage and audiences don’t react to it. They give it a nice polite clap. But a song like ‘Feed My Frankenstein,’ that’s a stage song,” Cooper adds.

Cooper admits that the majority of the current show is determined by a natural fear of fans storming the tour bus with torches and pitchforks.

“Out of the 25 songs we do, 18 to 20 of them are must-dos or the audience will get pissed off,” he says. “If we leave without ‘Under My Wheels’ or ‘Poison,’ we’ll get killed. We only have about five we can play with there. We fit in a couple from the new album, and there are theatrical bits where I go, you know, ‘Roses on White Lace’ would be exactly right to get from A to B here,’ so we put that in. But then every e-mail is, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t play...’ I have to go for pleasing 80% of everybody.”

Cooper doesn’t give much away about the new show beyond the fact that “there’s the Alice Cooper castle, and anything can and does happen in that castle; it starts out Rock & Roll, then gets more theatrical then finally goes into insanity.”

He’s quick to credit his touring band with the intensity and energy of the show: guitarists Tommy Henriksen, Ryan Roxie (“He’s a Rock & Roll, Jimmy Page-type guitarist”) and Nita Strauss (“She looks like a Victoria’s Secret model and plays like Eddie Van Halen... she’s a shredder”); drummer Glen Sobel (“Almost every drummer in any band out there, he was their teacher”); and bassist Chuck Garric, as well as Cooper’s wife Sheryl Goddard, are all incredible in his estimation.

“I’d put this band up against anybody,” Cooper says with obvious pride. “They’re all amazing.”

Cooper knows what kind of lowered expectation there might be surrounding a Rock god in the twilight of his career (“‘Ooh, he’s 74; this is the slowed-down version, he’ll be walking through it...’”), but he’s maintained a workout regimen that includes a two-mile run every night, hearkening back to his high school and college track days. He and Goddard both had and beat COVID in the pre-vaccine days of the pandemic, and he’s barely lost a step after his sixdecade Rock & Roll Hall of Fame career (a chance mention of Special Forces guitarist Mike Pinera reveals Cooper is also enshrined in the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame).

So what should one expect of the de facto Detroit Muscle tour?

“It starts in fourth gear and it stays in fourth gear,” says Cooper with a laugh.

“And when it’s over, the audience goes, ‘What was that?’”

That was, and will always be, Alice Cooper — Rock’s first and best villain, still guillotining, or something close to it, after all these years.

Alice Cooper will perform at the Andrew J. Brady Music Center (25 Race St. Downtown) on Jan. 28.

Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or must show proof of a negative COVID test taken within the previous 72 hours. More info: bradymusiccenter.com.

This tour partially celebrates Cooper’s latest release, Detroit Stories.

P H OTO : J E N N Y R I S H E R

Cooper is a member of the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame.

P H OTO : J E N N Y R I S H E R

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SOUND ADVICE The War on Drugs

Sunday, Feb. 6 • PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION The War on Drugs’ frontman Adam Granduciel must have a thing for 1980sera Bruce Springsteen. The band’s fifth LP I Don’t Live Here Anymore, effectively melds the grandiose Heartland Rock of Born in the U.S.A. with the melancholic introspection of Tunnel of Love, yielding the Philly-bred sextet’s most accessible record yet.

Of course, Granduciel, who relocated to Los Angeles a few years back, has long revelled in the sounds of dreamy, ’80s-lacquered Psych Pop. “Burning,” from the band’s breakthrough third record, 2014’s Lost in the Dream, recalls an unlikely mix of The Cure and Tom Petty doing a cover of Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks.” 2017’s A Deeper Understanding moved into a jammier, more cinematic realm — clocking in at 66 minutes, it’s awash in atmospheric synths, propulsive rhythms and Granduciel’s trademark searching guitar lines and modest, Dylan-esque vocals.

“On the early albums, I definitely wasn’t confident as a writer or a singer,” Granduciel said in a conversation with Interview Magazine last November.

“I saw vocals as an accompaniment to the music I was making with my friends. I just wanted to have fun and make art. This is our fifth record, and I’m by no means a master of the craft — writing songs and producing music still doesn’t come easy — but there’s more to sing about. There’s actually something to feel, that I can attempt to translate into music. I don’t think I went into this record focused on that, but I think that’s what drew me to the songs that I ended up choosing.”

Doors open at 7 p.m. All attendees must show proof of either full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID test taken within the previous 72 hours. (Jason Gargano)

Sleigh Bells

Wednesday, Feb. 9 • Taft Theatre While many bands make music that is often polarizing, Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells offer up the opposite. There is something on their albums for almost everyone to enjoy.

Often described as Noise Pop, Sleigh Bells mixes together the somewhat sweet and pretty vocals of Alexis Krauss with music that is anything but “sweet” or “pretty.” Krauss’ partner in tunes is guitarist and producer Derek Miller, who brings a volatile and powerful sound as back-up, often pulling from influences ranging from Hip Hop to

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The War on Drugs P H O T O : AT L A N T I C R E C O R D S

Punk. And, while that sounds like a clusterfuck of noise, what comes out instead is beautifully polished and perfectly produced music to which nearly anyone can bop along.

Their 2010 debut, Treats, took the world by storm, and nearly every outlet had it on their “best of” list that year. It was just so good and so different from the music making waves at the time.

In a year that gave us amazing albums from Arcade Fire, The National and even Kanye, Treats stood out from the crowd.

Since the release of Treats, Sleigh Bells has taken a bit of a different approach to making music, doing their best not to repeat themselves or become predictable. All of it has been good, but none of it sounded exactly like Sleigh Bells — other than for Krauss’ memorable vocals and the easy Pop lyricism.

Enter their newest album, 2021’s Texis. While you can clearly hear the duo’s 11 years of growth, it also marks the first time they don’t sound like they’re trying to buck the trend or sound different. Texis is a wild and fun ride, but it’s still ultimately a comfortably recognizable one, or as comfortable as you can get while dancing around in Doc Martens. The Sleigh Bells aesthetic is dark but fun, hard but comfortable. And always, always easy to love.

Doors open at 8 p.m. All attendees must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID test taken within the previous 72 hours.

(Deirdre Kaye)

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Sleigh Bells P H OTO : P R E S S H E R E N OW

UPCOMING CONCERTS Ana Popovic Jan. 28, Ludlow Garage The Wombats Jan. 29, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION

Beach House March 2, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Matt Kearney March 5, Taft Theatre All Them Witches March 12, Woodward Theater Yola March 12, Taft Theatre

Railroad Earth Jan. 30, Madison Theater

Henry Rollins March 13, Bogart’s

Whitney Cummings Feb. 10, Taft Theatre

The Flaming Lips (with Heartless Bastards) April 5, Andrew J. Brady Music Center

Lucy Dacus Feb. 11, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Foxy Shazam Feb. 12, Andrew J. Brady Music Center Circa Survive Feb. 18, Bogart’s Postmodern Jukebox March 2, Taft Theatre

alt-J and Portugal. The Man April 8, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Rise Against April 10, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Jack White April 13, PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Shari Kelly-Burrows Shelly Woodward Sherrie Kinderdine Sophie Wean Stephen Kuntz Stephen Sauer Steven Magas Stu Mcculloch Tammy Richardson Tara Keesling Teresa Brolley Thomas Hastings Thomas Scanlon Tiffany Vitagliano Tim Shumrick Timmy Broderick Timothy Dewald Timothy Reeder Tom Allen Tom Woodall Travis Gysegem Troy Brumley Tyler Waddell Vasilios Antoniadis Victoria Brink Vyronika Raevyn Wanda Nichols Zane Lesko

QUI COMPONENTS CROSSWORD

BY B R EN DA N E M M E T T Q U I G L E Y W W W. B R E N DA N E M M E T TQ U I G L E Y.C O M

ACROSS

31. Say firmly 33. Provençal beef stew

61. “Snowpiercer” actor Bremmer

11. Served perfectly

1. Bit of smoke 5. “That was hairy”

36. Word for word?: Abbr.

62. Nutrient in legumes

38. Bone head?

63. It’s so yesterday

15. Cross-reference phrase

9. Skoal in the mouth 13. City on Nevada’s Humboldt River

39. Off adventuring

64. “It wasn’t me!”

14. Circle dance

41. Pick up

65. Smug grunts

43. Conversation topic among gal pals

DOWN

15.Gravy, e.g.

16. It’s just for laughs 17. Closing paragraph?

18. Large key 19. Stop playing the Steinway?

22. Unified

55. Last

24. Issued, as a farewell

3. Isn’t allowed to play

24. “Sittin’ Up in My Room” singer stabbing others in the back?

22. Jockey Eddie

48. Gary Numan new wave classic 50. Tough-to-chew piece of tobacco?

30. Mo. that begins with American Chess Day

21. “Play it, Sam,” speaker

1. Wizards head coach Unseld

23. Engage in moshing

29. Brand of mouthwash

20. Adding word

44. Floating among an antimalarial drug?

49. Some brown colors

4. Drink that might make you feel funny

8. Mashed potato alternative 9. Like a guaranteed winner 10. Ethnic group of Burundi

26. Tip over 28. Salad veggies 32. “I don’t like your ___, mister!”

34. Gambling game with a punto banco variation 35. Intertwined

7. Actor Ebouaney

60. “I’ll take the blame”

25. Balanced the levels 27. Hockey goalies

6. Boxcar sleeper

57. Shakespeare character followed by The Fool

2. Similar group

5. Frauds

56. Spitting sound

12. “We ___ just leaving”

37. Answer page 40. Donuts in math class 42. Swimsuit that covers the head as well as the body 45. Daniil Medvedev won it in 2011 46. Needy person’s note

50. Here today, gone tomorrow employee 51. Singer nicknamed “Queen of New Age” 52. Pencil scraps 53. “Your Song Saved My Life” band

58. Just fine

LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

59. Scrubs wearers, briefly

54. Cooking fat

47. Do completely perfectly

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3 , 1 $ 1 , $ 1 . * ( 5 6 7 % $ % , $ 1 5 ( * / 2 6 + 2 1 ; : $ < 9 2 , ' , / 7 / 9 , 6 . / ( , ( 6

JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022 |

: + 2 $

5 , ' 6

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40

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JANUARY 26, 2021 - FEBRUARY 8, 2022