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August 2009
REVISED: Roman Legion to invade Pyramid Hill on Labor Day weekend
If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to live back in the glory days of the Roman Empire, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park offers the opportunity with the encampment of the Roman Legion XXII Primigenia, a living history organization dedicated to reliving the life of the 1st Century Roman Soldier.
The unit portrays a Roman legion from the 1st century AD to portray a historically accurate representation of the Romans, according to group spokesman Ben Geraci, known to his fellow pseudo-countrymen as Tiberius Claudius Geracius.
“When I’m on the field, I’m a simple private, but I’m also the unit quartermaster and unit cook,” he said. “I’m just a grunt who walks around with a sword and shield to kill the Barbarian hordes.
“Other people in the group have other jobs,” he said. “We have a minstrel looking to join the group an dwe have a Roman Senator.”
Most people have encountered a Civil War re-enactment, Geraci said, because it is the most popular living history hobby, but in Europe, Roman re-enacting is quite the big deal and is becoming more popular on this side of the Atlantic.
Members of the unit will remain in character for the whole weekend, providing demonstrations throughout the day. The public is encouraged to explore and interact with the camp and artifacts.
“When we’re there, we’ll be in character the whole time,” Geraci said. “So if someone comes up to me and starts talking about automobiles, I pretend I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Legion XII has strict rules about maintaining a level of authenticity, Geraci said, to the point that he spent 50 hours just creating the belt for his uniform because there is nothing commercially available that is not “too Hollywood.”
In addition to gladiatorial and marching demonstrations, the group will have a full camp set up with period-appropriate tents and equipment, and there will be a display of actual 1st century artifacts.
The Pyramid Hill Museum of Ancient Sculpture, which is modeled after an ancient Roman villa, will be open for visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to view art from the era, said spokesman Terry Dillon.
Pyramid Hill, 1763 Hamilton-Cleaves Road, Hamilton, willl be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6, for the encampment. Admission is $8 adults, $2 children.
For information, call (513) 868-1234.
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TweetMiami Hamilton Theatre looking for community actors
Miami University Hamilton Workshop Theatre is holding auditions for actors to be a part of the ensemble will present a production made up of pieces created by members of the course THE 238: Improvising Toward Devising and other area writers.
Auditions will be 6:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 2-3 in Your Room Studio, 307 Phelps Hall, Miami Hamilton Campus.
From director Bekka Eaton Reardon: “At various times throughout the semester as we work with playwrights to help develop material and learn it ourselves. Some public performances will be included in the rehearsal and text development process. We will be able to work with your schedule for a lot of the process of rehearsing this production. Rehearsal times vary and are pliable until we get closer to production dates. Then we take on a more “regular” rehearsal schedule. (At which point, it looks like actors would need to be available most Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings from around Oct. 26 until the show opens.”
Audition requirements:
> One-to-two minute monologue of your choice. Memorized material is always better… it shows you off better. If you do not feel comfortable with this or wind up not having one, however, do not worry. There will be monologues for you to choose from and use at the audition.
> A fun and creative improvisation activity. Be prepared to stay awhile after your audition as we will be seeing you in groups for the improvisational portion of the audition process. If you can’t stay, let us know and we will try to work around you. We cannot guarantee this, however.
> Do not worry or decide not to audition if you are unfamiliar with one or both of these processes. MUHWTheatre is very good at helping people who are new or rusty to theatre or to different theatre activities.
Production dates will be Dec. 11-13.
For more information, e-mail eatonrl@muohio.edu.
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TweetREVISED: Edgewood grad publishes first novel
Even when she was just 6 years old, Leanna Renee Hieber loved to dress up in lacy clothes and speak in a British accent.
“I was always drawn to Victorian England,” she said. “I’m not really sure how to explain that, except possibly that there was a past life.”
Then, a part in a local production of Oliver at age 9 helped seal the interest, and by the time she was 12, she had written her first novel — set in 1888, of course.
This week marks the debut of her first published novel, “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker,” the story of a ghostly-pale young woman and a secretive group of Victorian-era Ghostbusters known as “the Guard” when the Jack the Ripper murders start occurring in London.
Book Signings:
5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, Follet’s Miami Co-Op Book Store, 110 E. High St., Oxford. (513) 523-4900.
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, Barnes and Noble, 9455 Civic Centre Blvd. West Chester. (513) 755-2258.
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The publication follows the news that she won this year’s Prism Award, given out annually by the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of Romance Writers of America, in the novella category for her short novel, “Dark Nest.”
After graduating as the valedictorian of Edgewood High School in 1997, Hieber took a bachelor’s degree in theater from Miami University with a concentration in Victorian studies, and landed an internship with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
“We were working 14 hours a day there, then I’d stay up all night consumed by this story,” she said. “I was always going back and forth between my love for theater and my love for writing, and I knew at some point that I didn’t want this to just be a hobby, that I wanted this book to get out into the world.”
But it was a long, hard road. She always got positive feedback when she’d submit the manuscript to a publisher, but it was rejected because the mesh of genres made marketing it difficult.
She moved to New York four years ago, and it was at an audition call-back for a Broadway show that she got the message she was waiting for.
“I was sitting there waiting for the audition and all I could think about was the book,” she said.
So while she still does some background television work and small acting jobs, she’s now focusing on the sequels to “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.”
“It’s actually going to be a series of four or five books, depending on how the story arc progresses, to be called ‘The Strangely Beautiful’ series,” she said. “I’m discussing that with my publishers now, but I’m writing the next two books concurrently.”
Hieber thinks the timing may be just right for “The Strangely Beautiful Series” to become a big hit.
“The Victorian Era is really coming into vogue right now,” she said, “although I didn’t know that when I started writing this book nine years ago. “Plus, with the Harry Potter and the Twilight series ending, something’s got to take their place.”
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TweetMiami U. Art Museum dips into the collection for season exhibitions
Reception for “200 at 200” Fall Exhibitions, 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3; Miami University Art Museum, Oxford. (513) 529-2232
At the jump: More images, plus a list of gallery talks and programs for the fall exhibitions…
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With a collection of more than 16,000 works of art and no permanent exhibition space, most of the Miami University Art Museum remains unseen by anyone except staff.
That’s why curator Lena Vigna has decided to devote the 2009-10 season to bring portions of the collection into the galleries with “200 at 200,” that is, taking 200 works out of the closet in honor of the university’s 200th anniversary.
“It’s still just a drop in the bucket,” Vigna said. “That’s been one of our challenges, to get the art out, but there’s no way we can represent everything.”
Vigna came up with a series of topics that has allowed her to cull items for a series of thematic exhibitions throughout the year. Each exhibition offers a different conceptual framework and a mixture of time periods, places of origin, materials and techniques.
First up, is “Ring of Truth,” opening to the public Thursday, Aug. 20.
“There are many different ways of looking at truth,” Vigna said, “and some of them aren’t in the way that the dictionary defines it.”
In an era of digital manipulation, she said, reality can be altered quickly and seamlessly. This exhibition features more than 25 photographs, prints and paintings, including works by John James Audubon (1785-1851), Audrey Flack, Cindy Sherman, Victor Vasarely (1908-1997), George W. White (1826-1890) and Margaret Bourke White (1904-1971).
“The gallery looks really crowded,” Vigna said. “We installed this ‘salon-style,’ with work seemingly piled up on top of each other so that the viewer is bombarded with images.” One of the highlights is a recently-acquired print from Frank Stella, one of a series of 266 large works he created in response to the classic novel “Moby Dick.”
Opening Aug. 27 will be “Compositions in Black and White,” which not only features objects that are literally composed in black and white, but also works in black and white that explore issues of race and identity.
It features more than 55 works including selections from Leon Golub (1922-2004), Philip Morsberger, Julian Stanczak, Thom Shaw and Kara Walker.
“Figure and Form,” an exploration of works involving the human form, opens Sept. 3, when there will be a reception for the three fall exhibits.
“This exhibition is a survey of how the body is imagined in two and three dimensions,” Vigna said.
More than 110 works will be on display, including portrait paintings by Thomas Satterwhite Noble (1835-1907) and Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), bronze and ivory Art Deco sculpture by Demetre Chiparus (1886-1947), Pre-Columbian figures, a selection of African and Native American jewelry from the 20th century and an oversize neckpiece by contemporary metalsmith Jesse Mathes.
IMAGE ABOVE: Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Seated Ballerina, ca. 1885, charcoal on paper, 12 5/8” x 9” (paper size). Gift of Barbara Hatch Lore, 2008.5
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William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), “Young Girl Seated on a Ledge, ” 1899, oil on canvas, 45” x 25”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Figure and Form.”
Audrey Flack, “Self-Portrait Holding Charcoal Stick, ” 1956, oil on canvas, 41” x 29”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Ring of Truth.”
Julian Stanczak, “Light of Darkness, ” 1960, oil on canvas, 53 3/4” x 63 ¾”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Compositions in Black and White”
Frank Stella, “The Whale Watch, ” 1993, color lithograph, etching, aquatint and screen-print on handmade paper, 72” x 73”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Ring of Truth.”
Gallery Talks and Programs
Figure and Form: The Body as Subject and Object, Gallery Talk with Lena Vigna, Curator of Exhibitions, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. The human body can be depicted in paintings, photographs and sculpture but it is also “shaped” by garments and adornment that emphasize, hide and mold it. The exhibition Figure and Form juxtaposes representations of the body in two and three dimensions with objects that consider the body in a different way. Join Lena Vigna, curator of exhibitions, as we explore these concepts with both familiar and seldom seen works from the museum’s permanent collection currently on display in the galleries.
Grey Matter: Compositions in Black and White, Gallery Talk with Professor Ellen Price, Department of Art, Miami University, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. An overview of the unique formal and aesthetic qualities of artwork executed in black and white will be examined with a special focus on works in the exhibition Compositions in Black & White.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Sept. 24. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Ring of Truth: The Visual Mediation of Reality, Gallery Talk with Rina Kundu, Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education and Art History, College of Visual Arts & Design, University of North Texas, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. Do we live in a world of cross-mediation? Do visuals have the power to construct the social? This presentation will examine how visuals are a place where meanings get constructed and contested.
Opening Reception: Darwin’s Firsts, 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. October 1st is the 150th anniversary of the date Charles Darwin completed his corrections to the page proofs of “On the Origin of Species.” The reception features remarks by Maggie Heran, director, Lloyd Library; Heather Snyder, assistant, and Dr. Nicholas Money, Miami University professor of botany, on the Lloyd Library in Cincinnati. There will also be a guest appearance by Mr. Darwin himself, portrayed by Professor Thomas Gregg.
From the Author: Presentation Copies of Darwin’s 1859 On the Origin of Species, brown bag discussion with Dr. Robert S. Wicks, Director, Miami University Art Museum (brown bag).noon Tuesday, Oct. 13. The first edition of On the Origin of Species was limited to 1,250 copies; famously, the entire edition was sold to the trade on the first day of publication. What is less well known is that 58 copies of Origin were sent out for presentation and review. Of that number, the whereabouts of no more than two dozen can be accounted for. The Lloyd Library’s presentation copy (here on exhibit) was sent to Sir Walter Eliot in Madras, India, providing insight into the dissemination of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century.
Asian Art at the Miami University Art Museum Panel Presentation in association with the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs, 2-3:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Topics include new perspectives on dating the ancient art of Gandhara (Carolyn Schmidt), Chinese paintings (Ann Wicks), and Chinese and Japanese screen painting (Robert Wicks). A tour of the galleries begins at 4 pm.
Figure & Form: Negotiating Personal Space through Adornment artist talk with Jesse Mathes, 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Artist Jesse Mathes will speak about the evolution of her work and her interest in the psychology of adornment and personal space. She has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine, Lapidary Journal and other national publications. Her work, Personal space: eighteen inches, is on view in gallery 3.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, Oct. 29. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Wed. Nov. 4, 7-8:30 pm
The American Reception of Darwin, 1859-1900: An Interdisciplinary Introduction, 7 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 4. Dr. Kimberly A. Hamlin, Assistant Professor, Department of History and American Studies, Miami University, will explore the United States reception of Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on the varied and often surprising ways in which individuals and even entire fields incorporated, challenged and reformulated Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas about the origins of life on earth. Students and attendees will be asked to think about the following questions: What are some of the long-standing beliefs that evolutionary theory called into question at the end of the nineteenth century? How do you imagine that individuals responded to this new way of thinking about organic life? Which disciplines (religion, science, psychology, etc.) do you think were most impacted by Darwin’s ideas? Why? Which were most likely to embrace evolutionary theory? Which do you think rejected it?
Re:Design, a play by Craig Baxter, 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 and 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. “Re:Design” is a play about the life and ideas of Charles Darwin. Drawn directly from his voluminous correspondence, it features two actors—Charles Darwin (played by Luke Utter) and Asa Gray, a botanist and professor of natural history at Harvard University (played by Howard Blanning). Re:Design explores the conflicts of science and religion in the middle of the nineteenth century, raising issues that remain relevant in our day. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Tickets will be available at the Art Museum beginning October 1, 2009.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 19. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Paint it Black: Color and Meaning in Ceramic Traditions, with Dr. Robert S. Wicks, Director, Miami University Art Museum, 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. This presentation examines the underlying symbolism and the impact of local technologies on the development of monochrome wares in ancient Greece, South America, the American Southwest, German salt glaze ceramics and English Wedgwood. Most artifacts represented in the lecture can be viewed in the current exhibition Compositions in Black and White.
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TweetGreater Hamilton Civic Theatre casts “12 Angry Men”
Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre has announced the cast for its Oct. 8-11 production of “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose.
The cast includes:Dick Bell, Mark Durbin, Brian Smith, Jack Obszarski, Justyn Rampa, Dave Loeffler, Corey Wagonfield, Brad Morris, Ray Smith, Dennis Piper, Armand Bloch, Jeff Christian and Andrew Hehe.
The production will be directed by Rhonda Lucas and produced by Jane Winkler and Barb Winkler Toth.
About “Twelve Angry Men”: It’s an extremely hot, summer day in 1954 and twelve jurors have been given instructions to deliberate on the facts of a murder trial to determine one man’s fate. If found guilty by all twelve jurors, the defendant will receive the death penalty. Did the 18 year old defendant really murder his father? The 12 move to a jury room to begin deliberations. Here, they learn about one another’s personalities and prejudices and a little about themselves, as juror number 8 tries to reason through the facts of the case.
Performances will be Thursday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 at Parrish Auditorium, Miami University Hamilton Campus, 1601 University Blvd., Hamilton. Tickets are $15. Discounts available for seniors, students and groups.
For tickets call 737-PLAY or visit the GHCT web site at www.ghctplay. com.
Synopsis provided by Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre.
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TweetFairfield Footlighters audition for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Sept. 14-17
The Fairfield Footlighters will hold auditions for its production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” the following times:
> Adults: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14
> Children ages 8-10, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17
> Children ages 11-14, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17
Auditions will be at the Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield, and will consist of cold readings from the script.
Cast calls for two men, five women, nine girls and eight boys. There is a possibility of some or all roles being double-cast. Rehearsals begin Sept. 23 at the Community Arts Center.
For more information on auditions, call director or e-mail director John Vanderplough, (513) 939-0599.
Performance dates: November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 (2 shows), and 23.
For ticket information, call (513) 867-5348.
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Tweet‘The Singing Priest’ headlines eclectic VOA Park concert, Aug. 28
**Father Paul Poovathingal and Molly Stehn, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, Voice of America Park Lodge, West Chester. Free, $20 donation requested. Reservations suggested for indoor seating.
A celebration of two diverse genres of music finds “the Singing Priest,” Father Paul Poovathingal, a Catholic Priest from India, on the same bill with American opera singer Molly Stehn.
The concert event is planned in a formal elegant Indian ceremony so guests are encouraged to wear formal dress in celebration of their own heritage, said organizer George Mathew in a press releas, adding that a suit or dress is always appropriate.
Guests who pre-register for indoor seating will enjoy a grand atmosphere with ivory-clothed tables and colored lights to complete the ambiance.
Guests may also choose to bring chairs and be seated outside on the lawn or patio on a first-come, first-serve basis.
With a Ph.D. in Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India, Fr. Paul is well-known in India and has performed at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, the residence of the president of India.
He will be joined by Jayshankar Balan on violin and Vasudevan Namboodiri on mridangam, a traditional Indian drum.
Stehn is originally from Iowa, moved to New York and now lives in Loveland. Stehn was a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a semifinalist in the first-ever Cincinnati Opera Idol competition held this summer.
A $20 donation from those in attendance is suggested to help offset the cost of performers and the facility rental.
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TweetHero’s Ride honors fallen soldiers from the Iraq War
Hero’s Ride, 10 a.m. registration opens; 1 p.m. ride begins; 4 p.m. after-ride festivities. Village Green Park, Fairfield. $25 per driver and $5 per passenger; after-ride events free. www.herosride.com
It’s been four years since Fairfield lost three of its sons in the Iraq War within 90 days. Marine Lance Cpl. Taylor Prazynski died on May 9, 2005, Army Pfc. Timothy J. Hines died on July 14, 2005, and Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Cifuentes died on Aug. 3, 2005.
“Over the years it’s grown because of the number of soldiers we have from the local area that have been killed,” said Bill Meyer, coordinator of the fifth annual Hero’s Ride.
The event also honors two other fallen military men with Butler County ties: Marine Lance Cpl. William D. Spencer, formerly of Cincinnati, who died in Dec. 2006, and Army Pfc. James H. Miller, of Cincinnati, died in Jan. 2008.
Symmes Tavern on the Green plans to serve breakfast beginning at 9 a.m. for a nominal fee. A prayer will be said before the ride takes off from Village Green Park, said Stacy Wene, an event organizer.
“This is not just for motorcyclists,” Wene said. “We just want the public to come out.” Proceeds of the ride will benefit Impact a Hero. In the ride’s first four years, almost $36,800 has been raised for the organization that offers emotional and financial support for wounded and disabled veterans and their families.
The ride is $20 per bike and $5 per passenger. The first 300 pre-registered drivers will receive a ride T-shirt and pin.
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TweetBrady Seals is ready for “Play Time”
With a brand-new album titled “Play Time” out on StarCity records and a new baby, Evan James, with his wife Lisa Stewart and a chance to show his stuff in front of a home town crowd, it’s no stretch for Brady Seals to begin an interview saying, “It’s good times right now.”
Seals, who hit the country music spotlight as the keyboard player and a songwriter for Little Texas, will headline the entertainment portion of the Hero’s Ride event Saturday, Aug. 29, in Fairfield’s Village Green Amphitheatre.
The first and last time he played there was three years ago with his band Hot Apple Pie, but economic conditions being what they are, he had to let that outfit disband shortly after beginning the recording of “Play Time.”
Read the 2006 interview with Brady Seals about Hot Apple Pie at the jump …..
“The record started off as a Hot Apple Pie project,” he said. “We recorded three songs, but the opportunities around (Nashville) dried up and a couple members of the band had to take road gigs. So we just decided to take a break.”
Seals kept recording, however, producing and financing the album himself and calling on other musician friends for support, hoping to put together a demo.
An industry friend had passed Seals’s demo on to StarCity head Jeff Glixman, best known as producer of 1970’s progressive rock band Kansas and the Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” who immediately promised to make Seals’ dreams about the record come true.
“I was just going for a loose, playful record,” he said, and called on high school friend and artist Jim Leugers to create the art work, featuring a rabbit boy playing with a truck.
“I sent him a bunch of classic children’s books and he came up with that,” he said. “The art work represents me just being playful, the rabbit-head boy. It was just very on-the-spot and it fit the character of the record.”
He attributes some of that playfulness to being a new father.
“He’s just my world at this point,” he said of his 11-month-old son. “He makes be see the world in a different way, how playtime is so necessary and how a ceiling fan can be the most fascinating thing in the world.”
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TweetOriginal Fairfield Idol still chasing her muse
Ashley Brandenburg, the first Fairfield Idol, returns to the scene of her 2005 victory to open for Brady Seals in the entertainment portion of Saturday’s Hero’s Ride.
Since then she’s been busy laying the groundwork for a musical career, while at the same time working on her back-up plan, a degree in education.
Intermixed with her slate of gigs between here and Nashville was two appearances in the the Colgate Country Showdown. Her Top Seven finish in 2007 landed a gig at the Taste of Cincinnati, but the next year she finished second. CMT named her as one of the top 64 unsigned acts in the nation, and audience voting landed her in the top 32.
While she normally plays solo, she will have her band with her at Hero’s Ride: Matt Mayo, Alex Huegle and Nolan Fenner.
She’s also just finished her first CD, a seven-song set titled “First Love” that will be available at Village Green on Saturday.
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TweetSugarfoot re-forms the famous Ohio Players, performs Aug. 29 at Soul Food Fest
The Soul Food Festival, gates open 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 77th and Vine streets, Cincinnati. $30 advance; $50 VIP. (888) 512-7469
One of the most popular funk bands of the 1970s and ’80s, the Ohio Players is back in the spotlight, this time emphasizing the distinctive voice and musical style of its frontman, Hamilton native Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner.
Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players will join Lakeside, Con-Funkion, Dazz Band and The Barkays Aug. 29 at the Soul Food Festival at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, and that’s close enough to home for Sugarfoot.
Although Sugarfoot was born in Hamilton, he hardly calls it home anymore. Since he left as a teenager, he’s only been back once, for a funeral last year, and just zipped in and out of town as fast as he could, he said.
“Everything I used to know has been gone,” he said. “I have too many bad memories about Hamilton and I don’t like to go back.”
But it was in Hamilton where he first started learning about music, playing harmonica on the street corners for change, learning his first few guitar chords from “some wino,” and sneaking into the Rendezvous Lounge when he was 12 years old to play with the musicians there.
But by the time he was 14, he ran away from his Front Street home, where he was the oldest of 14 children, left town and never looked back.
“We were poor and I wanted to go anywhere I could make some money,” he said.
He first went to Cincinnati, then to Dayton, where it was easier to make money playing music. There, in 1971, he hooked up with a band called the Ohio Untouchables, but when he joined as singer and guitarist, they changed the name of the band to Ohio Players.
Within two years, the Ohio Players cracked the Billboard charts and in 1974 scored the first of six consecutive No. 1 albums on the Rhythm’n’Blues charts, “Skin Tight.”
In 1985 Sugarfoot briefly left the Ohio for a solo album delivered on Warner Brothers and produced by the late Roger “Zapp” Troutman. Sugarfoot was also featured on Herbie Hancock’s album “Vibe Alive.”
Returning to the fold in 1988 resulted in the album “Back,” and since then, the Ohio Players have gone under three or four re-formations, all with Sugarfoot as the major voice, he said.
The most recent revision has been re-dubbed Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players, working with five-time Grammy winner, Trae Pierce, formerly of the Blind Boys of Alabama, as musical director. Pierce is also producing and putting the finishing touches on new album that they hope to release in the spring.
“It really sounds great,” he said. “I think the Ohio Players was the greatest band in the world, but this group is much better.”
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TweetMusic Cafe presents eclectic line-up, Aug. 25
The Music Cafe, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25. Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton. Free. (513) 868-8336;
The Music Cafe, the Fitton Center for Creative Arts’ monthly showcase of local and area musicians, once again delivers a broad range of music in a single evening, with all five acts making their Music Cafe debut.
Kicking off the program on Tuesday, Aug. 25, will be Northern Kentucky singer/songwriter Sarah Mayhew, 19 (above), who said that she only learned to play the guitar last year, but is saving up for to move to Nashville to get into the songwriting business.
“I am a huge Taylor Swift fan, and she is the reason I wanted to pick up the guitar and learn how to play,” Mayhew said. “I just started playing, picking out the notes and started writing my own songs ever since.”
She said that she is notorious for writings about boys — old boyfriends, boys that are friends, boys that she hopes to be boyfriends.
“As a teenager, that’s all you really know,” she said, “and that’s something people my age and all girls can relate to.”
Chuck Wiggins will then display his proficiency on his digital accordion, an instrument he’s been working with for the past couple of years.
“You can pump it like a regular accordion if you, but there are also keys that you can make it sound like a guitar or piano,” he said. “That makes it sound more like a two- or three-piece group.
Having played with area world music bands like Lagniappe and Salsa Caliente, Wiggins said that his repertoire is eclectic and could include anything from Jimi Hendrix to modern jazz.
Guitarist and singer Scarlet Minnie, a West Chester resident and a senior at St. Ursuline Academy, will be making her first Music Cafe performance playing a diverse set cover songs from the likes of Emmylou Harris and Third Eye Blind.
Cincinnati gospel singer Charles Payne will perform a set of traditional and southern gospel music, some of it original.
“I’ve been writing since 1989,” Payne said. “I’ll be performing to recorded music. I have musicians who have made performance tracks for me.”
Rounding out the evening will be Oxford-based three-piece band The Redundant Neoplasm featuring Jack Nuttall on guitar and vocals, Jon Morris on guitar and piano, and Bryce Hunter on Drums.
“We play alternative, pop-punk and indie,” the band wrote in an e-mail. “We’ve been trying to get as much exposure since we started out as a band in our freshman year of high school. Currently we need a bass player, but we’re pulling it together.”
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TweetOxACT auditions for “A Funny Thing Happened… ,” Sept. 11-12
Auditions for the Oxford Area Community Theater (OxACT) production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” by Bert Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Bill Brewer, will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, and at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Oxford Community Arts Center, 10 S. College Ave.
Parts are available for 10 men and 8 women. Those interested in auditioning should be prepared to sing 16 bars of a song. For more information contact the director, Bill Brewer at brewerwe@muohio.edu or at (513) 524-2227.
Those interested in working behind the scenes are encouraged to contact the director. Performance dates are Oct. 29-Nov.1 and Nov. 5-8.
The rest of the 2009-10 OxACT season includes:
> “Quake” by Melanie Marnich, directed by Meggan Ratterman, Feb. 25-28.
> A concert version of “Pirates of Penzance,” music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, irected by Michael McVey, April 22-25 and April 29-May 2.
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TweetScoundrels can get in free
If you take more than twelve items into the express lane, eat your colleagues’ lunches from the break room refrigerator, talk through the entire movie at the theater, steal your neighbor’s newspaper, or do that thing where you leave the salt shaker lid just barely screwed on, it’s finally time to proclaim your greatness.
The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center (The Carnegie) and promotional partner Enjoy The Arts (ETA) announce the “Dirtiest Rotten Scoundrel Contest,” beginning Monday, August 24 and running through Friday, September 11. Presenting a rare opportunity for everyday rascals to brag about their beguiling, the contest allows participants to submit in 75 words or less why they are a “dirty rotten scoundrel.”
Winners will receive two complimentary tickets to a performance of their choice of the Broadway musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at The Carnegie, weekends September 4-20. The winners will also have their submissions read by actors from the show following the performance.
Participants may enter the contest through The Carnegie’s website at www.thecarnegie.com beginning on Monday, August 24.
Three winners will be chosen each week for three weeks beginning Monday, August 31 on the basis of creativity and overall chicanery.
PHOTO: Mark Hardy, Alaina Mills
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TweetMovie Review: Tarantino’s Revenge Fantasy
From Sir Critic:
“Inglourious Basterds” is no “Saving Private Ryan” — which to director Quentin Tarantino would be the ultimate compliment.
The difference is, with “Saving Private Ryan,” Steven Spielberg made one of his best films. “Inglourious Basterds” is not one of Tarantino’s best films, but it still is a highly enjoyable romp that is unmistakably his, for better and for worse.
Tarantino of late seems to fancy himself the world’s slickest genre director, putting his unique stamp on the trashy fare he loves and giving it a professional sheen, as he did with the two “Kill Bill” movies. So it goes with “Inglourious Basterds.”
Many have called the film “Tarantino’s World War II movie,” but that only scratches the surface. It would be more descriptive to call it “Tarantino’s zany revenge fantasy by way of historical fiction.”
Like many of Tarantino’s films, the movie follows several plot threads that intertwine.
One involves a Jewish woman and movie theater owner (Melanie Laurent), who concocts a fantastic plot against the Nazis after they murder her family. Another involves a bloodthirsty band of Jewish troops led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who call themselves the Basterds. They delight in literally scalping Nazis and branding the survivors with a swastika. A third involves an espionage scheme involving a German actress/turncoat (Diane Kruger).
After an auspicious beginning, culminating in the landmark “Pulp Fiction,” Tarantino’s vision became increasingly insular. With the two “Kill Bills” and the “Death Proof” segment of “Grindhouse,” Tarantino’s vision became insular. As fun as those movies often were, they felt increasingly like extremely well-made private jokes that would appeal only to geeks.
With “Inglourious Basterds,” Tarantino rebounds somewhat, even if he doesn’t reach the heights of his greatest work. The best parts of this movie are as good as anything he has ever shot. However, those are undermined by distracting, frustrating flaws. The cast is outstanding, with the best performances coming from the unknowns. Laurent ought to become a star based on her outstanding work as the vengeful cinema owner, and Christoph Waltz makes a magnetically diabolical villain.
Pitt is lead billed, understandably, but he’s really a key supporting player. Much as he did in “Burn After Reading,” he fearlessly goofs on his part .
What’s missing from “Basterds” is a thread that links the disparate sections like John Travolta was in “Pulp Fiction.” While individual scenes were strong, I felt the movie didn’t let me invest in any one character long enough to give me an emotional connection from beginning to end.
The other flaw, strangely enough, is the music, at which Tarantino usually excels. The soundtrack is an eclectic grab bag of sounds and genres, but this time, the anachronisms kept taking me out of the story. The sound is too similar to that of “Kill Bill,” even to the point that Tarantino reuses a song from that soundtrack. That kind of laziness is disappointing.
Ultimately, Tarantino has become a better director than he is a writer. He may not be as original as he once was, but at the very least, “Inglourious Basterds” proves he hasn’t lost his knack for delirious showmanship.
Tarantino’s Filmography
Without a doubt, Quentin Tarantino has carved himself a niche as one of our most distinctive film directors. My review of his filmography, however, suggests that niche may be becoming a bit too narrow.
Reservoir Dogs Genre buffs may claim that Tarantino stole many of his ideas from other movies, but those detractors miss the point. His debut film about a jewel heist gone very, very wrong may riff on other movies, but the end result is a movie that only Tarantino could have made. It’s perhaps a bit self-consciously showy, but the show is never dull. GRADE: A
Pulp Fiction No sophomore jinx here. Tarantino’s second film was such a landmark, that even a speech deleted from the film (Elvis people vs. Beatles people) is widely quoted. It drags just a little during some of the Bruce Willis story, but even that lull can’t keep the movie from being a masterpiece. GRADE: A+
Jackie Brown This is the great underrated film in Tarantino’s canon. It doesn’t boast the iconic moments of “Pulp Fiction,” but his adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s “Rum Punch” revealed a maturity in the director’s filmmaking he hasn’t displayed before — or since. If anything, it gets better with age. GRADE: A
Kill Bill Vol 1. This crazy quilt of Tarantino’s favorite genres, ranging from kung fu films to Brian De Palma suspense thrillers, has energy and imagination to spare, and its his best-looking movie, thanks to the great cinematographer Robert Richardson. Uma Thurman makes for a terrific leading lady. However, hindsight reveals that it was here that a lack of discipline began to overtake the director. GRADE: A-
Kill Bill Vol 2 On the one hand, the film is remarkable in that its very different in tone and style than its predecessor. There are many great moments, especially the fight between Thurman and Daryl Hannah, and Thurman’s escape from the grave. On the other hand, the movie has not held up so well over the years, with one scene after another seeming superfluous; Tarantino might have been better off with one movie instead of two. GRADE: B+
Death Proof Tarantino’s half of “Grindhouse” only runs 90 minutes and even then is still too long. His gift for dialogue desserts him during an interminable first half, although the second half comes roaring back with one of the wildest car chases ever shot. GRADE: B+
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TweetMRDD benefit motorcycle ride, Aug. 22
The Butler County Board of MRDD (soon to be called the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities) is hosting a Benefit Motorcycle Bike Ride, Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Tri-County Harley Davidson Store, 5960 Dixie Highway, Ohio 4, in Fairfield.
Registration begins at 10 a.m., the ride begins at noon, and the after-party runs from 1-4 p.m. with food and entertainment.
The cost of the ride is $20 per bike.
For information, call (513) 410-1344.
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TweetMiami string faculty kicks off recital season, Aug. 29
Miami University String Faculty Recital, 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29. Souers Recital Hall, Center for Performing Arts, Miami University, Oxford. Free. (513) 529-3014
Miami University string faculty will present a recital at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, in Souers Recital Hall, Center for Performing Arts.
Performers include violinist Harvey Thurmer, violist Mary E.M. Harris and cellist Pansy Chang with special guest pianist Robert Moeling.
In addition to serving as a fulltime collaborative pianist at Rice University, Moeling teaches preparatory piano at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. He has performed to critical acclaim in Holland, Luxembourg, France, and the United States both as a soloist and chamber music musician.
The members of the string faculty at Miami University are each well known as chamber musicians, soloists, and teachers both nationally and internationally.
Cellist Pansy Chang is a touring member of the popular eclectic group “Pink Martini” which tours extensively both nationally and internationally.
Mary E.M. Harris is the principal violist of the Columbus based Pro-Music Chamber Orchestra as well as a member of Cosmos, a flute, harp and viola trio with colleagues from Columbus, Ohio.
Harvey Thurmer is concertmaster for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in Richmond, Indiana, violinist in the Mercury Trio with colleagues from New York, and violinist in Miami 3, with Miami faculty clarinetist Michele Gingras and Miami staff pianist Heather MacPhail.
All three are associate professors at Miami University and were recently featured in a recording of chamber works of James Lentini, dean of the school of fine arts, for the Naxos label.
The group will perform works for piano quartet including Mozart, Piano quartet in g minor K. 478; Turina, piano quartet in a minor, Op. 67; and Brahms, Piano quartet in c minor, Op. 60.
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TweetMia Carruthers among the bands at this year’s Ohmstead music festival, Aug. 21-23
Ohmstead Music Festival, 1 p.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21-23. Hannon’s Camp America, 8501 Camden College Corner Rd., College Corner. $45 at the gate, includes camping.
Mia Carruthers and her new band The Retros will be taking the stage at the eighth Annual Ohmstead Music Festival, 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21.
Carruthers recently posted a confirmation that she will be on the second season of the MTV show “Taking the Stage” on her Twitter page. The show is described as a reality TV version of “Fame,” the 1980s movie and television series about aspiring stars.
MTV cameras have been following the high school students at Cincinnati’s School of Creative & Performing Arts since August.
Carruthers, 17, an instrumental and vocal music major and recent graduate, says the TV show is giving her and others a great opportunity.
Performers includes many regional and touring acts like Mike Perkins, Rumpke Mountain Boys, The Ohms (festival founders), Noctaluca, Jones For Revival and Grooveshire, to name a few. Saturday night will also see a choreographed Fire Show with Incendium Arts.
Festival spokesperson Leslie Armstrong said in a press release that there will be 10,000 watts of sound, a dazzling light show both nights, and plenty to do for everyone besides the music.
“Guests will be able to jump on the world’s largest’ slip n slide and cool off, check out the Psycho Science lab with cool science experiments to take part in, dance in the disco, tempt their inner-rockstar with Extreme Karaoke, shop at our creative craft vendors, and buy tasty food from our American-style menu or vegetarian options from the Veg-Head vendor,” Armstrong said.
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TweetBrew Ha-Ha Beer and Comedy Festival, Aug. 21-22
Brew Ha Ha Beer and Comedy Festival, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 21-22, Sawyer Point Park on Cincinnati’s Riverfront. Free admission; beer wristbands are $5; beer is $1 per sample or $4 per serving
Comedy and beer? Sounds like a dyn-o-mite combination.
The Third Annual Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha Beer and Comedy Festival features Jimmy “JJ” Walker of “Good Times” fame — and the man who made “Dyn-o-mite” one of the catch phrases of the 1970s — and Victoria Jackson (above), formerly of Saturday Night Live, among the 50 stand-up comedians performing on three stages.
Walker got into comedy via New York City radio until he landed a gig as the opening act for the militant literary group The Last Poets and became a regular at the African Room in Manhattan, where he met David Brenner. Brenner hit the big time (that is, “The Tonight Show”) first and used his new clout to get Walker a spot on Jack Paar’s show in 1972. Gigs as the warm-up act at sit-com tapings eventually led to “Good Times,” which lasted until 1979, and being honored as Time Magazine’s Comedian of the Decade.
The daughter of a gymnastics coach, Jackson’s big break came on “The Tonight Show” when her act was to recite poetry while standing on her head. She joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1986, becoming most famous for her appearances on Weekend Update with Dennis Miller, again reciting poetry while doing backbends or handstands on the desk.
The comedians will be out-numbered by the brands of beer, however. Brew Ha-Ha features more than 80 brands of beer from microbreweries around the country, including a pair of ales from the Cincinnati-based Mt. Carmel Brewing Company, and some specialty brews from the bigger breweries.
Brew Ha Ha also boasts two of the hottest local music groups that will serve as the festival’s house bands: The Swimsuit Models on Friday and My Sister Sarah on Saturday.
Food will be available from Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe, Cooking by Caitlin, Wertheim’s Restaurant and Krimmer’s Itallianette Pizza.
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TweetHigh school Battle of the Bands slated for Beach Waterpark, Sept. 12
The Beach Waterpark is now accepting entries for its first Battle of the High School Bands, Surf Wars 2009, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.
Ninth through 12th graders who have formed their own bands can register between now and Sept.5, 2009, by filling out a form at www.thebeachwaterpark.com, calling (513) 398-7946 or filling out a form at The Beach Waterpark’s corporate offices located at 2590 Waterpark Drive, Mason, Ohio 45040.
Registration fee is $25 per band, proceeds of which will be donated to the Music Resource Center of Cincinnati. Bands must provide their own instruments, and the songs that will be performed must be submitted and approved by Kate Storch, executive marketing manager at The Beach.
The winning band will receive four 2010 season passes to The Beach and a “Deluxe Homecoming Package” complete with tuxedo rental, salon services, restaurant gift cards and much more to use for their high school’s homecoming. The second place band will receive four 2010 season passes to The Beach.
Audience members will determine the winner by text message voting after all bands have performed.
After registering, bands will be contacted with their preparation and performance times. The Beach will be able to accommodate sound and technical needs.
Admission for audience members will be $10 per person. Part of the proceeds from the admission price and band registration fee will benefit Music Resource Center of Cincinnati.
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TweetTribute to Les Paul, Aug. 20 at Burbank’s
In tribute to the passing of Les Paul, local bluesman and Atlas Recording Artist the Sonny Moorman Group is going to dedicate Thursday’s (Aug. 20) open jam to the memory of guitar pioneer Les Paul, who died last week.
“The Sonny Moorman Group invites any and all guitar enthusiasts to bring their Gibson Les Paul Guitars to this celebration of the man, his music, and his instrument,” Moorman said in an e-mail. “The SMG would like to get a group picture of all the players with their Les Pauls in hand, and send it to the good people at Gibson Guitars to show their appreciation of Les’s contribution.”
The open jam will be 7-11 p.m. at 11167 Dowlin Dr. in Sharonville. No cover. For venue info, call (513) 771-1440.
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TweetFairfield Footlighters present an evening of melodrama, opening Aug. 21
Fairfield Footlighters presents “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night” and “Virtues Are Rewarded” by Pat Davis, 7 p.m. August 21, 22 and 28, 2 p.m. Aug. 23, Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield. $7. (513) 867-5348;
The Fairfield Footlighters will present a pre-season production of two original melodramas to help raise funds for the group.
“We had an expensive season last year,” said Jim Davis, who is directing one of the two short plays written by his wife, Pat Davis. “And because Pat wrote them, there aren’t any royalties.”
The couple did their first melodramas while they were directors of the Fairfield High School theater department, Pat Davis said.
“We did them in an informal setting, and at first we bought scripts from publishers,” she said. “But after a while, I thought, ‘I can write this,’ because they’re so formulaic and the sillier the better.”
The melodrama genre was popular in the 19th century in both Britain and the United States, and still remain a staple as a novelty and a throw-back to the past.
“They’re good plays for new actors to cut their teeth on because the characters are one-dimensional,” Pat Davis said. “If you’re good, you’re very good and if you’re bad, you’re just awful.”
And unlike more “serious” theater, the audience is encouraged to be vocal during the performance, to cheer on the good guys and to hiss at the villains.
“The actors get to overact and do all the things we tell them not to do, to ‘saw the air,’ as Shakespeare put it, with their gestures.”
On the boards will be “Virtues are Rewarded,” set in the Old West and directed by Jim Davis, and “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night,” a parody of the Miss Marple-style mysteries and directed by Ray Sullivan.
The cast of “Virtues are Rewarded” includes Meg Haven as Purity Virtue, Melissa Noll as Mother Virtue, Diane Minnich as Natalie Nasty, Teresa Bayer Iltzsch as Mrs. Grubbs, Kevin Noll as Black Bart, Moe Huffman at Sneaky Pete, Sam Chenoweth as Tex Truehart and John Vanderplough as Muley Packhorse.
The cast of “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night” includes Lauren Pellecchia as Prudence Primrose, Brigitte Nieman as Miss I.M. Misled, Joan Kirsch as Miss Newel, Callie Schuttera as Ida, Cindy Miller as Lady Livemore, Abby Doench as Hortense Livermore, Jeffery Jackson as Peeves, Michael Pitman as Thurston Schlock and Gabriel Hackney as Brush Pyle.
“I think there’s room for all kinds of theatre,” Pat Davis said. “The melodramas harken back to the past and are a lot of fun because you don’t have to be all that intellectual. The jokes are so broad, even the children get them.”
PHOTO: Natale Nasty (Diane Minnich) and Black Bart (Kevin Noll) make evil plans in the Fairfield Footlighter’s production of “Virtues Are Rewarded.”
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TweetMusic from the Southwest featured at Riverbank Cafe program, Aug. 21
The Santa Cruz River Band, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, Riverbank Cafe, 102 Main St., Hamilton. (513) 896-1666.
The Santa Cruz River Band, ambassadors for the musical traditions of the American Southwest, will perform Friday, Aug. 21, at the Riverbank Cafe.
“It’s a genre of music that people generally aren’t familiar with,” said founder Teodoro “Ted” Ramirez. “The Southwest has folk music traditions that go back hundreds of years. It’s a type of music that has absorbed all of the different influences. People from all over the world have come to the Southwest at one time or another.”
So more than just Tex-Mex, Native American or mariachi, the Santa Cruz River Band presents a slate of music that encompasses Welsh and African traditions.
“The Southwest is one of the few places in the U.S. where people are multi-lingual, and that all fits into the music,” Ramiriz said.
While other regional genres tend to be focused on a particular set of instruments or sound, the music of the Southwest is eclectic in a lot of ways.
Although the band has been around since the later part of the 1980s, until about eight years ago, it was mostly a regional band with a lot of players moving in and out.
But about 10 years ago, Ramirez - who is the official troubadour of Tuscon, Ariz. — reached out to the Ronstadt family to help in a concert to celebrate Tuscon’s musical heritage, and forged a partnership with Michael J. Ronstadt that took the band to a different level, now touring nationally.
“We’re both from families that have been in the area for a very long time,” Ramirez said. His family settled in Arizona in 1752, while the Ronstadts came along in the late 1800s.
Ronstadt comes from a musical family that includes his grandfather Federico “Fred” Ronstadt, who formed the Club Filarmónico de Tucson in 1899, and his sister Linda Ronstadt, the famous pop singer. He performed on her album of roots music, “Canciones De Mi Padre,” in 1987.
“Even though we grew up together, our paths never crossed musically until then because we were always working,” Ramirez said. “When I heard Michael play with both of his sons, with the combination of the sound and the family history, I knew it would be a good fit.
“Both are prominent families and business and politics,” Ramirez said, “so we have this great perspective on the Southwest and we try to bring that out in our shows, to talk about these songs and where they come from.”
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TweetFlying Circus plans to drop ‘the big one,’ Aug. 8-9
how to go
The 49th annual Flying Circus, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Butler County Regional Airport, 2820 Bobmeyer Road, Hamilton. Free. $5 parking. www.gcrcc.net
Until you’ve been to the Flying Circus, you can’t get a good feel for the excitement it generates, says Mark Feist, president of the Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club.
The 49th edition of the GCRCC takes place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8-9, at the Butler County Regional Airport.
“Like most years, we’ll have over 20 different events that range from sport airplane demonstrations up to turbine-powered jets that reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour,” Feist said.
The Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club is a group of model airplane enthusiasts with a flying field on Woodsdale Road near Trenton.
The Flying Circus will not only feature a variety of airplanes with wingspans from a foot to 10 feet but also helicopters and novelty vehicles. One is a flying doghouse with Snoopy in a dogfight with the Red Baron (who will be flying a blue airplane this year).
See Harry Potter flying on his broomstick, making his seventh appearance at the annual event, and what seem to be remote-control cars taking a lap on the runway until they seem to magically fly through the air.
“We will have three racing events this year,” Feist said, “including a re-enactment of the Golden Age Races that made pilots like Roscoe Turner and Billy Metcalf famous, and a re-enactment of the annual Reno International Air Race.”
The Flying Circus also is noted for its World War II re-enactments, featuring pyrotechnic displays provided by Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks. New this year will be the portrayal of the bombing of Pearl Harbor along with revivals of Doolittle’s Raid over Tokyo and the Normandy invasion.
“We’ll have a re-enactment of the B-29 ending the war,” Feist said. In other words, the Flying Circus is going to drop the Big One.
The club’s pilots also will compete in skill events such as the popular Balloon Bust.
“We create a ‘rock wall’ out of Styrofoam and have helium balloons tied to it that pilots try to bust with their planes,” Feist said. “Later in the show, we make them fly upside down and do it.”
The latter will be good for those coming to see a crash.
“At our trials last week, 14 planes went up and three landed safely,” he said. “Everybody loves a good crash.”
The grand finale (pending cooperation of the equipment) will be the traditional launching of the space shuttle, which takes off on a rocket 2,000 feet in the air and then glides to a landing.
“We’ll have a total of 150 airplanes flying in the four-hour show,” Feist said. For those who find themselves falling in love with the radio-controlled aircraft, the club and several hobby shops will have booths with information and items for sale. The club will raffle off equipment and memberships.
“We have instructional programs to teach people how to fly,” Feist said, noting that the club offers three sessions per week when the field is shut down except for training.
Also, people who come early or stay late can take advantage of some of the private full-size airplanes at the airport and take real rides.
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TweetLisa Marshall sings at Ryan’s Tavern, Aug. 12
Singer/songwriter Lisa Marshall, 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13; Ryan’s Tavern, 241 High St., Hamilton. $5 cover. (513)737-2200.
Although she was born in the South, until recently singer/songwriter Lisa Marshall spent most of her professional career in Los Angeles and Seattle before settling in Austin, Texas, earlier this year, partly to re-connect with her musical roots.
“Austin is all about the style of music I love so much, the Southern soul, delta blues, the rhythm and blues that was born out of the South,” she said. “I wanted to get back to that vibe, to where it all came from.”
Plus, being in the middle of the country, she said it’s a good place to launch out of when she goes on tour, which she has frequently since moving there. Her journey will soon bring her to Hamilton, where she’ll perform at Ryan’s Tavern, 9 p.m. Aug. 13.
“I had visited Austin a couple of times and met the most fantastic musicians with the greatest attitude,” she said. “It’s really a unique scene there. Everyone will have their own projects going but will always chip in and help out another musician with theirs.”
Although she will perform solo on a hollow-body guitar at Ryan’s, part of her goal of moving to Austin was to put together a band, which she has made considerable progress on, she said, having lined up a rhythm section and a trio of back-up vocalists.
Before striking out as a solo artist, Marshall was part of the L.A.-based Peculiar Boogie for 10 years. It was for that band that she first started playing guitar at the insistence of one of her band mates.
“I just wanted to sing, although I played all kinds of percussion,” she said. “But I learned to play guitar against my will and ended up playing bass. They forced me into it, but looking back I am grateful for it. Playing guitar is a useful tool to be able to write music.”
Marshall released her first solo CD, “Simple,” in May, 2008, and is getting ready to record a news single with the plan of releasing one song a month on her website, lisamarshall.com, until she has enough for a new album.
“I’ve also recently started working on a video journal,” she said. “I thought it might be amusing at times, the trials of a 41-year-old pursuing my dream of music as a career and trying to establish a record label. Maybe it will inspire people to do what they want to do, or maybe it will give them a good laugh, or maybe I’ll just bore people.”
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TweetTonight’s Fort Hamilton Jazz Band Concert postponed to Aug. 18
The Hamilton Parks and Recreation Division’s “Where There’s Music in the Air” concert with the Fort Hamilton Jazz Band scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 at Wayne “Sutherland” at Park Avenue and D Street has been postponed due to weather.
It has been rescheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the same location.
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TweetReading & All That Jazz programs wrap up at the Hamilton Lane Library
The Hamilton Lane Library continues Reading & All That Jazz with a Brown Bag Book Review, noon Aug. 11.
Reviewer Henry Cepluch will discuss “A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books” by Alex Beam.
The last Reading & All That Jazz program will be a jazz concert featuring Lynne Scott and Jack Doll. Listen to vocals accompanied by a keyboard performance, noon, Tuesday, August 18.
For more information about these and other programs at the Lane Libraries, call (513) 894-6557.
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TweetCarnival coming to Cincinnati Mall
Amusements of America Carnival, 4 to 11 p.m. Aug. 12-14, noon to Midnight Aug. 15, noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 16; Cincinnati Mall, Fairfield. Free admission.
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If your “staycation” kept you from going to the Ohio State Fair this year, you can thank Cincinnati Mall in Fairfield for bringing part of the fair to you.
Although the famous butter sculpture won’t be making the trip, Amusements of America will be bringing a portion of the Midway to Cincinnati Mall for a five day stay, Aug. 12-16.
Amusements of America began operations in 1939 when the five Vivona brothers bought the Ferris wheel from the New York World’s Fair.
“Before that, they had ice cream trucks in the city,” said second-generation operator Rob Vivona. “They expanded that to going to different carnivals in the area.”
They first put up the Ferris wheel across the street from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to draw people to their ice cream stand. From there, they just started buying rides and amusements and the company was at one time cited as “the world’s largest traveling amusement park” by the Guinness Book of World Records. The company contracts with fairs and special event producers around the country and has been providing the Midway at the Ohio State Fair since 1991.
Although the original Ferris wheel is no longer in the family, the carnival will feature a 100-foot Ferris wheel along with a merry-go-round, tilt-a-whirl and other thrill rides.
“We’ll be bringing 25 rides and all the food and games to go with it,” Vivona said.
Among the rides will be the Fireball, which Vivona described as “a big claw that swings the riders facing inward on a 40-foot boom.”
“It has a lot of artistry to it,” he said.
The carnival is the first event in what the new managers at the Cincinnati Mall hope will be a long-line of community-friendly activities, said marketing manager Abigail Woolwine.
“We keep hearing that the community wants to take ownership of the mall, so we’re looking to pack our schedule full of more events to help get people engaged,” she said.
“We want to reassure people that the mall is not closing and we’re actively looking to bring people back.”
The carnival will be set up between the mall and I-275 so that it will have maximum visibility.
“This is (Amusements of America’s) first time in the Cincinnati area,” Woolwine said. “We’re hoping it will go over so well that we can make it an annual event.”
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