| |
OUT
& ABOUT STAFF PICKS
Best
Committed Arts Organization:
By staying committed to its planned new home in Over-the-Rhine,
the Art Academy of Cincinnati is making an inspirational
pledge to the center city. Other organizations might have more money,
but none of them can match the heart shown by Art Academy leaders.
Best New Voice:
Long overdue, Visionaries & Voices acts as
an outlet for disabled and “outsider” artists, with
occasional showcases at their Essex Studio gallery and places like
Hamilton’s Fitton Center for Creative Arts, libraries and
— we hope — more to come. Here’s to cultural diversity
— finally. Visionaries & Voices, 513-861-4333.
Best Super-Sized Movie Theater:
“Super Size” is a negative when it comes to describing
fatty fast foods, but it’s sweet music to the ears of suburban
Cincinnati moviegoers lucky enough to live close to Rave
Motion Pictures West Chester 18, the newest and plushest
of the outer-belt cinemas. The screens are massive, legroom is comfortable
and the Jetsons-inspired decor brings an extra bounce to the ticket
lines. Concession stands offer free refills on soft drinks, but
we recommend slurping restraint to prevent super-sized bellies.
Rave Motion Pictures, 9415 Civic Center Blvd., West Chester, 513-463-2316.
|
Best
International Rep: Five Deez
|
Best
International Rep: Five Deez
Japan, Berlin, Amsterdam, Poland, Switzerland, Prague, Paris …
Cincinnati? You heard me. Our own Five Deez — Pase, Fat Jon,
Kyle and Sonic — belong in that under-30 globetrotting group
of elegantly urban Hip Hoppers (think Kanye West without the Jay-Z
lap dance) who bring a refreshingly new sensibility to the genre.
They’re as literate as J-Live, their musical and personal
camaraderie is a throwback jersey to A Tribe Called Quest and De
La Soul and, thanks to producer/MC/multi-hyphenate Fat Jon’s
juicy fruit track loops, their beat manifesto head nods as much
to their parents’ record collections as it does to the seamless
and bouncy European mixes they’ve been exposed to in their
travels and travails.
According to Fat Jon, who lives in Berlin with his girlfriend, Europeans
wanna feel the reason for the record. They don’t care about
the materialism rampant in most high-octane American Hip Hop. That’s
why they love the Deez, who constantly tour Europe and Asia and
yet, except for Fat Jon, maintain cribs right here in Kinkynasti
— also the title of their latest CD, so named after a guy
in Switzerland asked: “What’s the scene like in Kinkynasti?”
Just ask the Deez. And wait for their worldwide reply.(Kathy Y.
Wilson)
Best Place to Play Dress Up:
Plush’s swanky atmosphere never fails to
show off the best of its patrons’ closets. And while the hipster
quotient can get out of hand at times — affectation is great
to a certain extent — the well-cultivated visuals never fail
to stimulate in more ways than one. Here’s hoping they recover
quickly from a recent flooding caused by a busted water pipe. Plush,
825 Main St., Downtown, 513-651-2667.
Best Public Living Room:
Northside Tavern continues to tweak its winning
formula. At first, the loss of the foosball table was tough to take.But
replacing it with a couch and coffee table was a genius stroke,
adding yet another element to the bar’s already homey atmosphere.
All the middle room needs now is a well-stocked bookshelf, and it’d
resemble many a CityBeat staffer’s living room. Hot tip: Get
there early if you’re looking to test out the couch. It fills
up quickly. Northside Tavern, 4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside, 513-542-3603.
Best Art Rock:
Best known for its eclectic, always intriguing art exhibitions,
The Mockbee does throw a musical curveball into
the mix on occasion. Whether on the new third floor space or down
on the second — where New Yorkers The Secret Machines and
The Fever recently raised the temperature — the building’s
musical choices are often as unique as the art it displays. More
importantly, it’s offered up in an intimate, anything-goes
atmosphere. And, as we all know, freedom breeds a musician’s/artist’s
best friend — spontaneity. The Mockbee, 2260 Central Pkwy.,
Brighton, 513-929-9463.
|
Best
New Rock Club: Radio Down
Photo By: Matt Borgerding
|
Best New Rock Club:
Radio Down
Opening Dec. 31 in Covington, Radio Down (above Tickets sports bar)
shows remarkable promise. The club should be able to lure more and
more national acts to town, offering a mid-size non-Clear Channel
option for touring bands (nationals like Hey Mercedes, Dillinger
Escape Plan, Mae and The Russian Futurists have put the club on
its itineraries so far). It also provides non-drinking-age patrons
a new place to hang, something desperately needed in the wake of
the demise of The Void and Buzz Coffeeshop. (Though most are 18
and up, not all RD shows are “all” ages; call the venue
before you go just to be safe).
Former high school teacher-turned-Radio Down manager Frank Hulefeld
has given local bands a chance to play in front of an all-ages crowd,
something vitally important to perpetuating interest in local music.
The club’s set-up is also inviting, with covert “hiding”
spots, an outdoor balcony/break room, a cool Hullabaloo-style “box”
stage and groovy Rock & Roll decor.
It’s not perfect — multiple booking agents have led
to some double bookings, the club’s Web site (radiodown.com)
isn’t always updated with the latest information and the sound
quality seems to be a work in progress. But have patience: Radio
Down is just what this area needs. Radio Down, 100 W. Sixth St.,
Covington, 859-431-1839. (Mike Breen)
Best
Arts Cause:
Finding The Artery a new home. Laura Hollis, visual
artist and founding director of The Artery, has worked since December
1999 with a dedicated team of volunteers to make Newport’s
arts center into something special. When new owners purchased the
building last year and raised the rent beyond The Artery’s
shoestring budget, Hollis learned that being a creative arts leader
means zilch with the Northern Kentucky business community. Here’s
hoping current conversations lead to a new Artery. It deserves the
chance to keep operating.
Best Arts Rebel:
Andrew Loughnane, former director of the Southgate
House Gallery and the undisputed arts “King of Newport,”
lives a rebellious, Jackson Pollock-inspired life that’s as
colorful and exuberant as his conceptual artwork. An upcoming installation
at the Weston Gallery should cast him in more serious light. Then
again, he continuously proves that inspired art need not be serious
or mature to be of exceptional quality.
Best Public Psycho Scene:
The bathroom at apartment-turned-gallery space Publico
posed several questions at the Publicopen House Final Friday show
last summer, when a black figure stood behind the shower’s
transparent curtain. Was it a cut-out? Was it a person? Was the
facility to be used, or was it performance art? We don’t know.
We were too chicken to find out. Publico, 1308 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine,
513-784-0832.
Best Piece of Ass:
The Morals Galore CD Release Party at the Brass
Ass across the river in December was friggin’ legendary.
Celebrating the release for their second CD, the late MG boys did
it up right at a stripjoint (which had to do more bar sales that
night than in the previous 12 months). The dancers gave the guys
a few cases of the giggles, whether they were dancing to previous
bands Viva La Foxx and Patient Zero or to filler music by Justin
Timberlake and Beck. Seeing Eric Deidrichs slipping a bill into
some skanky stripper’s thong, we’ve never been so entertained.
|
Best
Delivery of Real Broadway Shows to Cincinnati Audiences:
Playhouse in the Park
Photo By: Jerry Naunheim Jr
|
Best
Delivery of Real Broadway Shows to Cincinnati Audiences: Playhouse
in the Park
For its 2003-04 season, Broadway in Cincinnati surprised and pleased
local theatergoers with sparkling and entertaining productions of
unexpected shows such as Urinetown and Late Nite Catechism, not
to mention hits like Hairspray. But these
are touring shows,
ultimately, not quite the real McCoy (a fact we were all too painfully
reminded of by the wobbly rendition of The Graduate that was this
year’s holiday offering; where are The Rockettes when you
need them?). Those serious about seeing something closer to the
quality of theaters in New York City were lining up last fall to
buy tickets to the Playhouse in the Park’s production of Mary
Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. This compilation of mythology and
theater magic was the real deal, using the same creative team —
set designer Daniel Ostling, costume designer Mara Blumenfeld, lighting
designer T. J. Gerckens and sound designers Andre Pluess and Ben
Sussman — who created a world of earth, air, fire and water
(as in a fabulous swimming pool) on Broadway. The result was one
of the best, most thoroughly entertaining evenings you’re
likely to find in a theater anywhere. Playhouse in the Park, Eden
Park, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888. (Rick Pender)
Best
Plugged-in Experience:
Media Bridges’ Autumedia — the free
outdoor multimedia extravaganza in October that was part of Enjoy
the Arts’ 20/20 Festival — was on a perfectly clear
night, and still hardly anyone came out for it. It’s too bad
the masses missed digital videoscapes (like Brett Sparks’)
or short films (like the one on Roger Owensby Jr.) playing on the
side of buildings, an interactive billboard, live music, visual
art and food. Media Bridges, 1106 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-651-4171.
Best Office Talent:
CityBeat staffer Tracy Walker. And it’s not
shameless self-publicity when we say she’s not just talented
in sales — she also has one helluva voice. There weren’t
any traces of the usual grittiness (gritty in a good way) at the
Southgate House for her CD release party in November, with candle-lit,
white clothed tables. A nice transformation. Definitely worth All
This Time.
Best Stomping Ground:
It was indeed hard to sit still in the Cincinnati Museum
Center’s
OMNIMAX Theater last summer, at least when Pulse: A STOMP
Odyssey came to town. The film mixed different cultural musical/dance
traditions with today’s STOMPers. From the Kodo drummers in
Japan to Brazil’s Timbalada, it was truly a moving experience.
Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., West End, 513-287-7000.
Best Mix of Art and Politics:
Who knew art and social activism had so much in common? The
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s Producing Artistic
Director D. Lynn Meyers did. She teamed up with the Ohio
Innocence Project in February to get innocent people out
of jail. ETC’s production of A Lesson Before Dying studied
the struggles of an innocent man on death row, and the theater’s
partnership with the Innocence Project raised awareness and bolstered
donations for the organization that seeks to free wrongly convicted
inmates with new evidence. They’ll team up again in September
for the ETC production of The Exonerated, a play based on interviews
with death row inmates who were eventually proven innocent.
|
Staff’s
Best Moments at the Contemporary Arts Center’s grand
opening last May:
Chuck Cleaver of the Ass Ponys calling out, while
performing, a snobby patron whom he overheard bitching about
her wine being served incorrectly.
Photo By: CAC Partier
|
Staff’s
Best Moments at the Contemporary Arts Center’s grand opening
last May:
• Chuck Cleaver of the Ass Ponys calling out, while performing,
a snobby patron whom he overheard bitching about her wine being
served incorrectly.
• Gathered on Walnut Street under a tent — the biggest
crowd I’ve ever seen downtown for something other than Oktoberfest.
• The buzzed, beyond-party guest lying on the ground claiming
“performance art” as he looked up women’s dresses
and announced what they were (or weren’t) wearing.
• Hot tubbing with 1,000 of your closest neighbors.
• The giddiness and joy of being in the center of tremendous
excitement and civic and artistic pride. A finally self-satisfied
Cincinnati sighed contentedly, smiled to itself and began to laugh
loudly in celebratory merriment at the acheivement that brought
it one step closer to actual citydom.
• Talking with two former CAC staffers — veterans of
the dark days of Mapplethorpe — in line waiting to enter the
new building; they were as proud as any current employee, patron
or board member could have been.
Best
S.O.S. From the Art Community:
The S.O.S. Art show last summer featured almost
60 local artistsoffering original works to comment on local, national
andinternational political events and upheavals. Organized by Saad
Ghosn and Eric Triantafillou — whose banner hanging outside
his art studio displaying anti-war images had been vandalized several
times — the show filled SSNOVA (where The Mockbee is now)
with powerful messages, from Jan Brown Checco’s “American
Victory Garden, Baghdad” (a pile of rubble with a tiny disfigured
doll on top) to Patrick Mills’ video Blue Wall of Silence,
narrated by Roger Owensby Sr., whose son died in Cincinnati Police
custody. A second S.O.S. Show is being planned for this summer.
Best Hope for the Future:
Editorial Ink, ArtWorks’ summer apprentice
program for local teens looking to learn how to express themselves
through editorial writing and editorial cartoons, taught us as much
as it taught them. The students’ resulting work was displayed
at ArtWorks’ downtown gallery and in a CityBeat
cover story, demonstrating that the kids are informed, opinionated
and indeed alright. ArtWorks, 811 Race St., Downtown, 513-357-5602.
Best 20/20 View:
Enjoy the Arts’ 20/20 Festival returned last
fall to again draw attention to Cincinnati’s cutting-edge
arts organizations. One of the highlights was Tha Blast, a three-day
collection of music, spoken word, panel discussions, workshops and
art show showcasing local African-American arts and culture. Enjoy
the Arts, 1338 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-621-4700.
Best Gender Bender:
The world of Hip Hop emcees and DJs is primarily male, but Apryl
Reign has made a name for herself locally on the turntables.
She owes her success to a bad break — having all her equipment
and records stolen from her car. “I was playing the mainstream,
thugged-out type of stuff,” she recounts. “Then I started
building a collection of more Jazzy, down-tempo stuff that I could
play and be at peace.” And we’re the better for it.
Best Literary Carnival:
With its pit stops at Buzz Coffeeshop, the Perpetual Motion
Roadshow perpetuated a different brand of words and ideas
culled primarily from the ‘zine scene. Not all of it worked,
but all of it needed to be heard. Roadshow is a three-ring circus
for independent wordsmiths with a rotating trio of performers, such
as the bizarrely intriguing wrestling persona of Dr. Wred Fright
or the confident Rapology of More or Les, heading out most every
month on a mini-tour of the U.S. and Canada. Now that Buzz is no
longer percolating, Roadshow has nowhere locally to pitch its tent,
though The Mockbee or Kaldi’s would be ideal stomping grounds.
If Cincinnati doesn’t keep the Motion going, we’ll remember
this big top fondly. www.nomediakings.net.
|
Best
Artist Formerly Known as Prince:
Brian Isaac Phillips
Photo By: Matt Borgerding
|
Best
Artist Formerly Known as Prince:
Brian Isaac Phillips
To be or not to be? Well, nothing could be nobler in Brian Isaac
Phillips’ arc as a leading artist of Cincinnati’s theater
scene. In January, he molded the role of the Prince of Denmark into
the crown jewel of his resume. Phillips held Hamlet together with
an intensity that never dug into the maudlin. He’s a versified
talent capable of pouring ghost stories in The Weir, relating chilling
reality in the one-man show Nocturne or drawing bloody-good performances
out of his cast as director of Dracula. By making an ass of himself,
literally speaking, he received a congratulatory pat on the bottom
for his role as Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
winning a 2003 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Local Actor
in a Supporting Role. Named CSF’s artistic director in October
with a contract running through the 2007-08 season, Phillips demonstrated
structured hope for CSF’s future, a return to the chartered
course the company paved in its early days. He’s also proof
that Cincinnati does have the ability to draw creative types to
the city for a longer haul. CSF, 719 Race St., Downtown, 513-381-BARD.
(Brandon Brady)
Best Crowd Pleasers:
One thing the local music scene has perfected is the group show
or mini-festival. Some of the past year’s highlights include
the Homegrown Music Festival at BarrelHouse (April
2003), Springfest on the UC campus (May), Pop
N Folk Implosion at Southgate House (May), A.M.
Holiday (June), Rivertown Breakdown (June),
Cincinnati Rock + Read Fest (August), Cincypunk
Fest II (August), Leo Coffeehouse Hootenany
(September), Ohmstead (September), Brink
(November), Rivertown Music Club (ongoing), NoKy
Music Night (January), Chicks RockFest
(January), Love Songs (February) and Leap
Day (February). And those don’t count tributes or
benefit shows (see below), record releases or street festivals.
Best Returning Trend for Local Band
Concerts:
The tribute show. It used to happen all the time
back in the day — loads of bands joining together to play
the songs of some musical icon or other and give the proceeds from
the concert to a local charity (Bogart’s hosted tribs to the
Rolling Stones, Xmas music and David Bowie a decade ago). Among
the more successful tributes/benefits recently: nods to “one
hit wonders” (a benefit for WAIF’s Art Damage radio
program); Talking Heads (Autism Society of Cincinnati); and The
Beatles (Leukemia Department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital).
Best Major Label Bounce-Back:
Moth was dropped from Virgin Records (thanks to
Mariah Carey’s multi-million dollar buy-out), but the long-running
local band persevered and put out their own disc this year, Drop
Deaf.
Best Reason Cincinnati Rocks That Didn’t
Make Esquire:
After another stunningly successful year, the MidPoint Music
Festival conference/ showcase got mad national props via
a mention in USA Today. But the much ballyhooed inclusion of Cincinnati
as a top Rock city in an Esquire magazine write-up (We’re
No. 7! We’re No. 7!) failed to even mention the fest. Had
to make space for the Anchor Grill item, we suppose. Ah, the power
of a free meal.
Best New Band Name:
The Cincinnati Reds U.K. We doubt the satirical
“U.K.” addition would pass the “express written
consent” rules of Major League Baseball, which makes this
all-woman Indie Rock collaborative’s moniker all the more
hysterical.
Best Local Record Label:
The long-running Tiberius Records, run by local
band Thistle, gets better with age, this year adding Cari Clara
to its already healthy roster (The Light Wires, Thistle, Columbus’
Silo the Huskie, Ampline and El Gigante). Quality product, fair
artist-centric deals, national distribution, good radio airplay
backing and press — what’s not to love? tiberiusrecords.com.
Best World Beat:
Mohenjo Daro. Just try to see this venerable local band
live without being sucked in and transfixed by their mesmerizing
Middle Eastern melange. Did they really just now win their first
Cincinnati Entertainment Award for best “World” band?
|
Best
Place to Eat, Drink and See Original Art: Kaldi’s
Photo By: Jymi Bolden
|
Best
Place to Eat, Drink and See Original Art: Kaldi’s
They almost can’t help but be steeped in art. Surrounded by
the city’s largest concentration of art galleries outside
and overflowing with books on the inside — not to mention
the artists, musicians, students and general all-around creative
types who spend waking hours there — Kaldi’s flows with
as much culture as it does coffee, alcohol, fine cuisine and cigarette
smoke. With art shows coinciding with Final Friday, Kaldi’s
features photography, painting and sculptural installations each
month by local artists. With established talents like James McKenna,
Brad Smith, Tim McMichael and Emily Buddendeck showing as well as
new and emerging artists, the place further solidifies its cultural-mainstay
atmosphere by joining the most meaningful aspects of urban life
in one spot: food, art and community. We’d be remiss not to
mention The Comet, Mulane’s, Habanero’s, Milton’s,
The Highlander, Sitwell’s and many other restaurants and bars
that celebrate local artists by giving them a stage, a captive audience
and a casual, busy atmosphere in which to shine. Kaldi’s Coffee
House and Bookstore, 1204 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-241-3070.
(Stacey Recht)
Best Showcase of New Talent:
Sponsored by CityBeat, “Brink 2003: A New Music Showcase”
was just that, featuring four of the area’s finest up-and-comers
in November — the skronky Blues deconstructionists Viva La
Foxx; atmospheric, keyboard wielding Subrosa; lush guitar rockers
The Cathedrals; and Slop Pop purveyors Morals Galore. Past finds
include the Light Wires, Sundresses and Kim Taylor. Hey, sometimes
self-flagellation is a good thing.
Best City-Artist Collaboration:
The city of Cincinnati funded much of local folksinger Jake
Speed’s most recent album through a $2,880 individual
artist grant. Speed used the funds to produce his sophomore
release, The Cincinnati Legends of Jeremiah Schmidt. Released in
September, Speed claims the album is based on a collection of legends
about Cincinnati that he found in his Clifton Heights basement.
Regardless of the origin, the result is an excellent album full
of river-town folktales that comment on class, race and history
in the Queen City. For more information about Jake Speed and The
Freddies, visit www.FreddiesMusic.com.
Best Return by an Inch:
Todd Almond came back to town last summer to “get
the band back together” and reprise his lead role in Hedwig
and the Angry Inch at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. Featuring
local music vets Billy Alletzhauser, Sam Womelsdorf, Mike Lamping
and others, the band played several warm-up gigs — including
the high-profile grand opening of the new Contemporary Arts Center
— and wowed audiences again at ETC. Will the company make
Hedwig an annual production a la Christmas Carol at the Playhouse?
ETC, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555.
Best Notable Arts Departures:
Just when visual artist Mark Fox earned deserved
attention with the Cincinnati Art Museum, he packed his brushes
and headed to New York City. Fox promises return trips to the Queen
City to continue collaborations with Saw Theatre partner Anthony
Luensman, but his absence is felt just the same. When Senior Curator
Thom Collins earned as much acclaim and recognition
for his programming at the Contemporary Arts Center as the new Zaha
Hadid-designed facility, it said a lot about his aesthetic eye.
Collins left the CAC late last year for a post in Baltimore, and
it’s yet to be seen what the future holds for the art occupying
the new building’s cantilevered walls and angled floors.
Best Overkill:
Cincinnati Police vice squad members might have
finally broken up the insidious art gallery beer black market that
threatened life and liberty in these parts. Last summer David
Dillon, director of Semantics Gallery in Brighton,
was busted for selling alcohol without a permit at an opening night
party for a new exhibition — a tub of beer was sitting in
the front room with a tip jar next to it. Dillon was convicted on
two charges but avoided jail time, as the judge simply fined him
the amount of money confiscated from the jar: $89.10. The real question
still raging: Who chipped in the dime for a beer? The investigation
continues.
Best Semantics:
As part of the Beautiful Losers exhibition at the
Contemporary Arts Center — a show featuring skateboard and
graffiti art — several of the young artists decorated the
walls on the Maisonette building facing the CAC across Walnut Street.
Obviously weary of dealing with various well-meaning anti-litter
groups, CAC staffers reminded opening night visitors the work was
“commissioned art” and not “graffiti.” CAC,
44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, 513-721-0390.
Best Open Door:
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has been trying
for years, with various degrees of success, to break down walls
between ordinary folks and Classical music. Its Multicultural Awareness
Council Open Door series, for instance, presented a weekend of Latin
music that included a screening of Ry Cooder’s Cuban music
film Buena Vista Social Club, CSO concerts conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos
featuring a Latin guitar quartet and late-night dancing to Latin
X-posure at Havana Martini Club. CSO, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine,
513-381-3300.
Best Vocal Gymnastics in a Single Production:
American soprano Catherine Malfitano performed
amazing vocal feats with starring roles in all three single-act
operas in the Cincinnati Opera triple-bill production of 2003. The
production featured Malfitano in Francis Poulenc’s La Voix
Humaine, Kurt Weill’s Die Sieben Todsunden and William Bolcom’s
debut opera, Medusa. Malfitano conveyed each distinct character
with emotion, delivering the nuances of each role, and her magnificent
voice never faltered, ending with the most demanding vocal performance
of all, Medusa. Cincinnati Opera, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine,
513-241-ARIA.
Best Coming Together:
The arts crowd can be tricky, saying they want challenging new work
while turning out in droves for the old favorites. Luckily for the
adventurous, arts institutions continue to balance cutting edge
with tried-and-true — case in point, Cincinnati Ballet’s
recent Come Together Festival, which brought exciting
choreographers together with dancers hungry to stretch their routine.
Cincinnati Ballet,
Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-621-5282.
Best Art Sale:
The monthly “Art Aches” shows at Plush
above Carol’s on Main brings local artists together for part
exhibit, part sale and all party. The pieces are priced to sell
— usually around $30 — and dozens are sold at each event.
(Art Aches is being relocated for a while until Plush and Carol’s
reopen after water damage from burst pipes.) Plush, 825 Main St.,
Downtown, 513-651-2667.
Best Graceful Recovery:
The abrupt denouement of beloved alt art space SSNOVA
in September could have meant a long-empty vacant gap in Brighton’s
struggling/emerging art scene. But it didn’t. Curating/artmaking
duo Chris Daniel and Carissa Barnard swept in and began painting,
renovating and gathering materials and ideas for the space’s
third year as a gallery. Utilizing the signage already in place
from its factory days, they dubbed it The Mockbee.
The former space’s brow rose a few inches, and smaller art
galleries now fill the rough gap left by the passing of the SSNOVA.
The Mockbee, 2260 Central Pkwy., Brighton, 513-929-9463.
Best Foot Forward:
The Contemporary Dance Theater’s annual season-closing production,
Choreographers Without Companies, brought together
some of the most creative dancers and choreographers in town and
in the Midwest to stretch a bit with new material they’ve
created. The June shows are always a highlight to any season, showcasing
ideas and techniques you don’t usually see at the Aronoff
Center. CDT, 1805 Larch Ave., College Hill, 513-591-2557.
Best Art Ads:
The clever Fine Arts Fund ads are back again this
year with some additions, but props must be given to the ad campaign
for last summer and fall’s Festival of the New. The general
idea (we think) was to show that art is around us all the time,
offering simple images like a cinder block with flowers growing
out of it (labeled a vase); a brick wall, a row of bricks and a
single brick (labeled Rock concert, Broadway musical and Jazz club,
respectively); and everyday items such as truck tires, tree planters,
a bridge tressle and the Serpentine Wall.
Best Sensible Concert Decision:
Add Riverbend to the list of local venues coming to their senses
about festival seating, the no-assigned-seats format
banned in Cincinnati since the horrible Who concert tragedy in 1979.
The Bruce Springsteen show in 2002 opened U.S. Bank Arena to limited
festival seating, and then last summer Riverbend allowed open seating
for the Van’s Warped Tour. Every other city can handle the
special security measures needed for a safe festival seating show
— now Cincinnati has proven it can handle a couple as well.
Remember, festival seating didn’t kill those kids at the Who
show — poor planning did.
Best Attention to Detail:
The annual Queen City Blues Fest does it right,
bringing in strong national acts and featuring the best local musicians.
But for the Blues afficianados they also offer side stages (Ricky
Nye’s piano stage, an acoustic stage and, new in 2003, a Gospel
stage) and workshops (on local Blues history and various instruments).
Always well organized and always a good time.
Best Testing Ground:
Scribble Jam has become one of Cincinnati’s
calling cards on the national entertainment scene, as the annual
Hip Hop/DJ/graffiti art fest has launched a few youngsters to stardom,
such as Eminem. The Jam returned to its original home, Annie’s,
in 2003 and once again drew large crowds of black and white Hip
Hop boys and girls.
Best Place to Run into a Desperate Ex or Find Your Next One:
Fridays are Retro ‘80s Night at Jacob’s
on the Avenue, but big hair isn’t the only thing the bar sees
as a result. The Cure and Boy George seem to somehow spur tragic
love at this nighttime meat market for twentysomethings. Jacob’s
on the Avenue, 4029 Hamilton Ave., Northside, 513-591-2100.
Best Cheery Bartender:
Erika Wennerstrom, who when serving at Arlin’s
twice went far out of her way to build and tend a fire for two people
on an otherwise-deserted patio. The lead singer of Heartless Bastards
now needs a new part-time gig — please, someone give this
quirky, personable woman a job.
Best Against-All-Odds Club Revitalization:
Sudsy Malone’s was ground zero for the Indie/AltRock
scene in the 1990s, but the neighborhood has suffered since and
Sudsy’s management seemed to change hands every few months
for a while there. Now specializing in Hard Rock, Punk and Metal,
Sudsy’s has essentially rebuilt a scene thanks to the efforts
of booking maestro Chris Lee and the rest of the staff. Sudsy Malone’s,
2626 Vine St., Corryville, 513-751-2300.
Homecoming Concert:
Twilight Singers’ Greg Dulli and his encore
reunion with Afghan Whigs cohorts John Curley and Michael Horrigan
at the Southgate House. Dulli always oozes sex and mischievous,
chauvinistic arrogance, but this night he oozed a satisfaction and
delight not often seen in public. Intoxicating. Did anyone notice
his new guitarist/vocalist felt a bit threatened?
Best Mix Disc:
The Popular Fallacies (True Lies) CD by John Doe,
one of Cincinnati’s foremost mixmasters who boasts membership
in both the preeminent local turntable team 1200 Hobos and the national
collective Uneasy Alliance. On the brilliant Popular Fallacies (True
Lies), he shows an undying devotion to the art of turntablism and
the history of Hip Hop in general.
Best Strip:
The Playhouse’s stripped-down production of My Fair
Lady opened its 2003-04 season with Lerner and Loewe’s
rarely produced two-piano score. The result was a streamlined show
that focused more on the relationships and emotion inherent in the
musical’s inspiration, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.
Playhouse in the Park, Eden Park, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888.
Best Kept Secret:
The latest in a long line of nationally known Cincinnati illustrators
is finally getting his due, as West Chester artist Loren
Long is placing his work in Time and Sports Illustrated
magazines and several children’s books, including Madonna’s.
The former Gibson Greeting Cards staffer calls Cincinnatian C.F.
Payne his illustration mentor.
Best Sight for Sore Eyes:
There’s just no getting enough of Pam Myers,
Cincinnati’s Broadway star who starred in last fall’s
production of Nite Club Confidential at Ensemble Theatre. ETC, 1127
Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555.
Best Local Connection:
Xian Zhang, at 29 the youngest faculty member at
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music, made her Cincinnati Opera
debut last summer as conductor of La Traviata, Verdi’s beloved
opera about love, loss and sacrifice. Cincinnati Opera sacrificed
nothing by choosing the local conductor to lead the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra, who played flawlessly under her baton. Cincinnati Opera,
1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-241-ARIA.
Best Lobby for the Arts:
The Performance Gallery has created an atmospheric
theatrical wonderland for audiences to wait before showtime or during
intermission. Candles give an intimate flair to the spacious room,
while puppetry creations amuse and beguile from various vantage
points. An eclectic assortment of tables and chairs scattered throughout
give attendees a chance to rest and snack on some not-always-wholesome
goodies. This visually warm and stimulating welcome mat is inviting
of return visits. Performance Gallery, 3900 Eastern Ave., Columbia-Tusculum,
513-333-8482.
Best Tool Time:
Trading Spaces carpenter Ty Pennington has a great
set of hands, which he put to good use with a November appearance
at Joseph-Beth Booksellers to promote his book, Ty’s Tricks.
Madness reigned as an audience of primarily women and gay men turned
out en masse for the hunky home renovator. He kept his playful sense
of humor intact as he coped with microphone problems, cat calls
and the cramps forming in his hands. Instead of leaving at his scheduled
time, like other popular authors are wont to do, Pennington stayed
two hours after closing to accommodate his way-too-eager fan base.
Best Pied Piper:
All the cool kids are skipping down the street listening to Zak
Morgan’s CDs, especially When Bullfrogs Croak, nominated
for a Grammy Award this year. Ric Hordinski produced the album,
which features support from area musicians like Karin Bergquist,
Annette Shepherd and John Zappa.
Best Way to Splurge on Original Art
Without Robbing a Bank:
The Projects embraces a rags-to-riches theme by
offering “cheap art,” encouraging participation at every
level — anyone is invited to submit art for themed shows,
and visitors bid on the works in a silent auction. Works tend to
fly off the shelves for $30 up to more than $100. Bid late and often,
and you can find yourself the proud owner of a piece of contemporary,
original art. The Projects, 114 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-910-7060.
Best Reason to Walk Around Over-the-Rhine
After Dark:
On Final Friday, galleries, art-centric shops and
bars on Main, 13th and Clay streets (and the Pendleton Arts Center)
open their doors to everyone — and for four hours every month
local art gets the attention it deserves. Warm Final Fridays usually
include some sort of outdoor performance — often spontaneous
— in addition to all the art in the galleries and stores.
Indulge in fine wine, fine cheese and fine art, and listen to lots
of artsy chatter all along the streets and storefronts of this thriving
art district.
Best Southern Art Flavor:
Two of Cincinnati’s best art spaces thrive in Northern Kentucky
— The Carnegie Visual + Performing Arts Center
in Covington and the Northern Kentucky University Galleries
in Highland Heights, which consistently present quality work by
living artists, local, regional and national. These glorious art
spaces are themselves works of art — both with vaulted ceilings
and multiple rooms that inspire works of all shapes, sizes and dimensions.
The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, 859-491-2030. NKU Galleries,
NKU campus, Highland Heights, 859-572-5148.
Best Out-of-the-Way Art Haven:
Five-year-old Warsaw Project Space stands at the
apex of East Price Hill as well as the apex of West side visual
art. Enriching a neighborhood better known for its cheap-wine-and-cigarettes
convenience stores than for its art scene, it’s a welcome
anomaly. Its mid-month openings bring artists and art-conscious
to the Hill and, since artists have curatorial control over their
shows, you never know what to expect — except for an enriching
art experience. Warsaw Project Space, 3116 Warsaw Ave., Price Hill,
513-652-2349.
Best Show to See at the Aronoff Center:
Whatever’s at the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art
Gallery, the Aronoff Center’s street-level gallery,
usually brings large-scale, site-specific installation spilling
onto Cincinnati streets. Because the installed art here remains
visible to passersby during off-hours, the space serves as an always-open
window into the city’s best art. Enter, and you’re in
a glass cage, gloriously gathering glittering light, illuminating
the wonderful works within. Two galleries in the basement present
smaller-scale offerings in a more traditional setting but are no
less ground-breaking (no pun intended). Weston Gallery, 650 Walnut
St., Downtown, 513-977-4165.
Best Way to Indulge in Cincinnati’s
Art Heritage:
Last May, 150 years of classic Cincinnati art collided mid-air with
contemporary Cincinnati art in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s
Cincinnati Wing (pun intended). The CAM opened an entirely
new structure to house, display and celebrate one of the most important
art centers in U.S. history. Yes, folks, that’s Cincinnati.
“The art work is world class. It’s not just parochial,”
CAM Curator Anita J. Ellis said. “The art renaissance is still
happening. I think artists tend to be staying here.” Part
of the Cincinnati Wing includes a contemporary gallery that features
current works by living Cincinnati artists. CAM, 953 Eden Park Drive,
Eden Park, Mount Adams, 513-721-2787.
Best Foundation for Art:
There are several galleries around town where you can see the work
of local artists, but few are more pleasant than the Foundation
Gallery. And if you buy something, you’ll be supporting
the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which makes grants to support
worthy causes in our community. Foundation Gallery, 200 W. Fourth
St., Downtown, 513-241-2880.
Best Diversity Onstage:
We love the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company and
their biennial Cincinnati Black Theatre Festival, but they aren’t
the only ones doing excellent theater with diverse casts. Two Over-the-Rhine
theaters reliably present excellent scripts dealing with racial
issues. Too bad for you if you missed Ensemble Theatre of
Cincinnati’s productions of James and Annie, A Lesson
Before Dying, Blue/Orange and Breath Boom. And The Know
Theatre Tribe offered Two Trains Running and My Children!
My Africa!, not to mention the award-winning (and gay-themed) Corpus
Christi and Lips. ETC, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555;
Know Theatre, 1425 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-300-KNOW.
Best Sips:
We were sad to see Chateau Pomije close its pleasant
dining establishment in O’Bryonville, but don’t think
they’ve left us high and dry. The wine shop is still there,
offering knowledgeable wine tastings on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. (next
up is sparkling wines April 6). Once the city finishes tearing up
Madison Road, more will happen on Friday evenings. Go to www.chatpom.com
for the schedule. Chateau Pomije, 2019 Madison Road, O’Bryonville,
513-871-8788.
Best Room With a View:
Always known for its large decks and great views, Mt. Adams
Pavilion hit a slump in recent years as nightlife focus
shifted to Main Street. But new owners have spiffed the place up,
adding a swanky upstairs lounge, and the hipsters are coming back
to Mount Adams again. Mt. Adams Pavilion, 949 Pavilion St., Mount
Adams, 513-744-9200.
Best Spot for a Quiet, Grown-Up Drink:
Sometimes Mariemont strikes us as a tad too quaint, but sometimes
that’s exactly what we want. The overstuffed chairs by the
fireplace in Southerby’s Pub at the National
Exemplar Restaurant make you feel like you’re at the manor
house. And you’re treated like Tudor royalty. National Exemplar
Restaurant at the Mariemont Inn, 6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, 513-271-2103.
Best Take Your Ball and Go Home:
Lois and Dick Rosenthal’s generosity is unsurpassed
in their support of the arts in Cincinnati, making the new Contemporary
Arts Center possible and giving us perpetual free admission to the
Cincinnati Art Museum. But after 15 years of supporting new plays
— and apparently a few shows that made them a bit squeamish
— they pulled the plug on the Rosenthal New Play Prize at
the Playhouse in the Park. Nevertheless, let’s give them props
for some damn good shows since 1989.
Best Fringe on Top:
After years of talk, Cincinnati finally hosts its first Fringe
Festival in May, thanks to the tireless work of Jason Bruffy
and friends. Bruffy, who came to town in 2001 to work with Cincinnati
Shakespeare Festival, has been studying fringe fests in other cities
and says, “Cincinnati could be the next place to be. I think
we’re on the verge of the next big boom.” It’s
the theater scene’s answer to the MidPoint Music Festival
— a 12-day celebration of adventurous onstage work featuring
30 companies and solo actors. www.cincyfringe.com
|
|
