Ann Driscoll at Southgate House

From Citybeat.com:

Singer/songwriter Ann Driscoll is a Cincinnati native who's currently studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. But, at age 20, her songwriting already possesses the kind of wisdom, originality and maturity that can't be learned in college.

She began her musical career in earnest just three years ago and her direct Indie Pop sound helped put her on bills with local favorites like Peter Adams and Katie Redier, as well as nationally acclaimed Rock bands like The High Strung. Driscoll's self-released, self-titled EP is an engaging exhibition of blunt, catchy (but not predictable) Pop, with vocals that recall pre-blatant-sex-kitten Liz Phair and a writing style that is obviously informed by prime influences like The Beatles and Nirvana.

Berklee must be on summer break, because Driscoll is returning to the local stage this week, performing at the Southgate House's parlour room Friday with local singer/songwriter Molly Sullivan. 8:30 p.m. $5-$8. (Get details and find nearby bars and restaurants here.) -- Mike Breen

Check out Bob Moses at the Wisp tonight

The Blue Wisp plays host to internationally acclaimed drummer Bob Moses with his Chicago Quartet tonight (5/15). The music begins at 7:30pm with a $20 cover charge for this premium act. This is however, an UrbanCincy Night and mentioning the site (at the door) will get you $3 off your cover.

If you haven't yet heard of Bob Moses, go check out some of his stuff (YouTube video)...you'll be in the groove before you know it. You can make reservations at fasteddief@aol.com or by calling 513.241.WISP (9477).

Blue Wisp (GoogleMap)

Reds Hot Weekends

This weekend marks the first of 8 Reds Hot Weekends this Summer. The festivities will be taking place on Fountain Square and will start Friday and last through Sunday...covering the entire weekend series against the Cleveland Indians.

Friday's activities will include live music by Lo-fi, a local cover band playing funk and rock classics, at 5pm. Following Lo-fi, at 8pm, The Harlequins will take the stage. It will make for a great time to just hang out with friends, and there will be beer available on the Square. What makes it even better is that from roughly 4pm-7pm I'll be serving the delicious adult beverages.

OK Go performing on Fountain Square
Image from myfountainsquare.com

On Saturday the fun continues with DJ Iceburg from 2pm-4pm followed by the first "Movie Night" (featuring Sandlot and The Natural) of the Summer starting at 7:30pm. Beer, soft drinks, and snacks will all be sold on the Square...and people are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, pillows, etc for "Movie Nights."

Finally Sunday will wrap up the weekend with free UDF ice cream, on the Square, from about 4:30pm-5:30pm...along with some other neat festivities. Be sure to come out even if you're not going to any of the games and just have a great time Downtown on Fountain Square.

Acoustic Lunch Series at Piatt Park

Today marks the first Acoustic Lunch at Piatt Park (GoogleMap) of the 2008 year. The series will run through September 30th and is every Tuesday from 11:45am-1:45pm. As always the concert series is free and will feature live music from a variety of local artists.

It makes for a great lunch hour in one of my favorite hang out places Downtown - Piatt Park (view photos here). There are lots of benches, some tables, and plenty of planter ledges to sit on while you enjoy the music. This week will feature music from Malkum Gibson & The Mighty Juke.


Listen to various music by Malkum Gibson & The Mighty Juke HERE.

View the full concert schedule HERE.

Happy Birthday UrbanCincy!

Today (5/8) is UrbanCincy's birthday...and the site is officially 1 year old. Thanks everyone who makes this site what it is by commenting and discussing the things going on in Cincinnati.

The site was started to be a positive alternative to the often negative stories heard from the mainstream media...and fortunately enough there seems to be that same desire for an alternative to the same old pessimism and negativity. Thanks again for reading, and hopefully UrbanCincy can make it around for a second year and continue its maturation process.

Thanks

Steve Turre comes to the Blue Wisp - 2 nights only

Acclaimed jazz trombonist and 20-year veteran of the Saturday Night Live Band, Steve Turre, will perform tonight (5/7/08) with the Blue Wisp Big Band. Steve Turre is described as a passionate, dynamic and creative artist. The fact that he'll be teaming with the legendary Blue Wisp Big Band makes the prospect even more exciting.

He will also be performing on Thursday, May 8th with his quartet. Like always, Thursdays are UrbanCincy Nights at the Blue Wisp where you get $3 off your cover charge. For both nights the cover charge will be $15 with the shows starting at 8:30pm.

You are not required to make reservations, but are encouraged to. You can do so by calling 513.241.WISP (9477) or by email at fasteddief@aol.com.

Steve Turre is also available on YouTube...be sure to check out some of his stuff.

Image from www.allaboutjazz.com

Around the Cincy Blogosphere

Aren't quite sold on streetcars yet? Well if that's the case then check out some pretty convincing reasons as to why not to hate the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar.

You can also check out some MuralWorks action happening along Race Street Downtown. Maybe after that you should start planning on where you're going to spend your tax rebate. It might also be time to stop in and say goodbye to a friend.

And since we're in Cincinnati and all, be sure to check out the flying pigs as well.

*You can find links to these great blogs and much more over in UrbanCincy's blogroll in the left column on the site.

Triage at the Blue Wisp tonight!

Triage will be at the Blue Wisp Thursday, May 1st. I can't think of a better way to kick off the new month than by enjoying an UrbanCincy night at the Blue Wisp with one of Cincinnati's best and a Cammy Award winner.

Triage is made up of Eugene Goss (vocals/percussion), Billy Larkin (keyboards/vocals), and Marc Wolfley (drums). The show will start at 8:30pm and has a $8 cover charge (minus your $3 UrbanCincy discount of course).

Blue Wisp (GoogleMap)

Downtown Treasure Hunt

The European-American Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance Francaise are hosting a Downtown Treasure Hunt this Saturday, May 3rd. The event will start at 1:30pm and last until 4:30pm. On the walk you will attempt to discover some of Cincinnati's many hidden gems.

It is described as a stroller-friendly event that will cover just over a mile. Refreshments will be served and prizes will be awarded at the end of the event. The cost is $10 per person or $20 per family. For more information and to register, please fill out the form available online (PDF 580kb) and fax it to the European-American Chamber of Commerce at 513-852-6511 or call 513-852-6510.

Get your flowers here

The Flower Carpet that has been on Fountain Square since April 7th will be going away this Sunday (4/27). The best part about it is that they will be giving the flowers away to the public for free. The public is free to line up prior to the giveaway that will run from 7am-10am (or until the plants are gone).

Each person will be given a crate that holds six pots. If you would like more than one crate you are permitted to get back in line for another.

Photo by Randy Simes

Bearcat in the flesh

Want to see an actual Bearcat, in person? Well you have a great chance now at the Cincinnati Zoo. If you are a student, faculty member, or staff member with the University of Cincinnati you can get into the zoo for 1/2 price now until May 25th (with an ID).

The Cincinnati Zoo's Executive Director and the UC President Nancy Zimpfer kicked off the Bearcat's return to the Cincinnati Zoo. In addition to the return, this baby Bearcat still needs a name. The public can enter into the Zoo's, "Name the Baby Bearcat" contest until April 30th...with a winner being announced on Friday, May 9th.

Click here to submit a name for the baby Bearcat

Image Credit:
Cincinnati Zoo

Andy Brown Trio at the Blue Wisp

The Andy Brown Trio will be performing at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club this Thursday, April 10th at 8:30pm. The trio consists of Andy Brown (guitar), Rob Allgeyer (organ), and Ben Cliness (drums). Together the trio makes for some great listening.

Keep in mind this is a Thursday performance, so that means UrbanCincy night at the Blue Wisp. Be sure to go check out the club and the Andy Brown Trio...and most importantly mention UrbanCincy at the door and get $3 off the $10 cover charge.



318 East 8th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513.241.WISP (9477)

*Blue Wisp's April schedule

Experience Eclipse

4/11 Eclipse @ Constant Springs - Goshen, IN

4/12 Eclipse @ Gypsy Hut - Cincinnati, OH

4/20 Eclipse @ Mad Frog - Cincinnati, OH

4/25 Eclipse @ The Stadium - Oxford, OH


Eclipse is one of my new favorite bands. They have a great sound and can easily go from a jazz fusion sound, to modern hip-hop, to more of a rock sound. CityBeat says, "Energy drips off the stage when they play live. And the audience drinks it up."

Buy/Preview Eclipse's CD, Eclipse, at CD Baby

Thank You!

I would like to use this post to thank all of those who voted for UrbanCincy in the Best of Cincinnati 2008. As per the reader's choice, UrbanCincy is the 5th Best Blog in Cincinnati. This was done without campaigning and/or pandering for votes...so thank you.

The site will continue its maturation process, and will soon reach its 1 year anniversary. Keep on reading and spreading the word...and I'll continue to pour my heart and soul into UrbanCincy for everyone of you.

*If there is anything you would like to see...or if you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact our team at urbancincy@gmail.com. Your input is valued and you should get a response within 24 hours.

Vote Cincy for Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is an event that brings talented tech minds together to create a company from concept to launch over a weekend. It is a pretty neat event and has gone to the typical impressive list of cities:

Boulder, Toronto, New York, Hamburg, Houston, West Lafayette, Boston and DC and is expanding to 10 other cities. These cities include San Francisco, Boston, DC, Atlanta, London, Dublin, West Lafayette, Chapel Hill, Austin, Portland, and Seattle with more cities signing up weekly.

Currently Cincinnati is pretty high on the list of potential cities that Startup Weekend may come to, so get on there and VOTE FOR CINCY. You can also learn more about the event, and see what has been done elsewhere by going to the programs website: http://www.startupweekend.com/.

Cincinnati TAP Project

You have a great opportunity to give back next week and help save the lives of millions of children around the world. On March 16th – 22nd you can pay $1 for drinking tap water at local participating restaurants. Cincinnati is one of 16 cities (only Midwestern city other than Chicago) leading the 2008 campaign for UNICEF nationwide so we can really show our stuff on an international level.

There will be a kickoff event on Friday, March 14th at Bang Nightclub from 6:30pm-10:30pm. Overall more than 80 area restaurants (and growing) will be participating in this campaign. All of the proceeds will go to provide safe drinking water to children around the world.

“The second largest killer of children around the world is lack of safe drinking water. One dollar pays for one child to have clean drinking water for 40 days!”

This campaign started last year in New York City only (raising around $100k with 300 participating restaurants in 1 day), and has now grown to 16 cities leading the charge for an extended weeklong campaign. Next year it is planned to go global using these 16 cities as the benchmarks.

Sixteen cities participating:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York City, Portland, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, Columbia, and Seattle.

For more information: www.tapcincy.org

NatiGroove music festival

A new music festival will fill that Spring time music festival void in Cincinnati on March 22nd at the Southgate House in Newport, KY.

NatiGroove will feature a diverse collection of some of the best regional artists with two popular local artists headlining the event. Local jamgrass heroes Rumpke Mountain Boys and the innovate, style-mashing band Eclipse will headline the event. This event is staring off strong with a solid & diverse mix of artists and should offer something for everyone.

Tickets are just $12 for the the festival and it will begin at 9:00pm as national DJ Rare Groove kicks things off in Ballroom. The eclectic and soulful band Sexual Disaster will follow along the first headliner, Eclipse. Rumpke Mountain Boys will close the event.

I had a chance to interview Frank Meyer, from FMG Entertainment (organizing the festival), and this is a group that is a homegrown company that is looking to provide, "what we're missing in Cincinnati" in terms of the music scene. This is their largest endeavor to date and they are extremely focused in the Over-the-Rhine area and would eventually like to move this event to either Downtown or OTR.


Lineup Info:

DJ RARE GROOVE - Known as the Blueprint's touring DJ, don't miss Rare Groove as he brings his 1988 hip-hop beats and Blueprint flavor to spin fire back in the Nati just before he kicks off his North American tour with Atmosphere and Abstract Rude. 9:00pm – 9:45pm & in-between all sets Downstairs in the Ballroom

SEXUAL DISASTER QUARTET - Is sex good…disaster bad… or what? With universal consciousness, Sexual Disaster Quartet is bringing their soulful, driving, innovative music to the Nati with a disastrously explosive sound that spontaneously combusts into orgasmic jams moving listeners to aftermath of molten, undeniable wetness. 9:45pm – 10:45pm Downstairs in the Ballroom

ECLIPSE - Those high-energy musical innovators Eclipse are back with their style-mashin grooves. With influences ranging from Led Zeppelin to Ozomatli and Herbie Hancock, Eclipse continuously pushes musical boundaries by incorporating elements of rock, funk, latin, jazz & hip-hop into a tight and complex sound. 11:00pm – 12:15am Downstairs in the Ballroom

RUMPKE MOUNTAIN BOYS - Just the good ol' boys, Never meanin' no harm. Call it Newgrass or Jamgrass or Bluegrass -- any way you slice it, Rumpke Mountain Boys are one of the Nati’s premiere Bluegrass crews and have built a solid following throughout the city and the Midwest with their lively, jamming sound. 12:30am – 1:45am Downstairs in the Ballroom

RUSTY VAN BAND - Rusty Van Band mixes it up with a blend of jam rock, reggae, bluegrass, and blues. They play mostly original music throughout a range of venues in the Nati. 12:15am – 1:30am Upstairs in the Parlour

Ich möchte einen Toast auf Grammer's ausbringen!

Translation: I'd like to propose a toast to Grammer's!

I'll be honest I had never been in Grammer's before last night. I am a relatively new resident of this great city and had not had the opportunity to enjoy Grammer's prior to 1992, when it closed. Let me tell you. It seems like the place never closed. There were easily 100-150 people at the opening of Grammer's last night. You could barely move in the bar area, and many of the tables were full as well. Like I had said in my last post, Beer and Brats... what else do you need? This place is going to do amazingly well. What a GREAT building. It screams its German heritage loud and clear. Old Steins are everywhere, and the basement area is going to be one of my favorite spaces in the city, once the renovations are complete. In general, this could become my NEW favorite hang out. Prost!

No real menu yet, but the management expects a full restaurant in about a year. Other developments should start popping up around Grammer's at about that same time.

Thursdays at the Wisp

There is a new weekly activity that is sure to please…Thursday nights at the Blue Wisp are now UrbanCincy nights. When you go you can now get $3 off of the cover charge – typically $8 reduced to $5 for readers of UrbanCincy. The first Thursday night special will be on Valentines Day with the Dan Faehnle Quartet taking the stage. Dan Faehnle is know for his jazz guitar and even better - he's an Ohio native.

But before the first Thursday night special, there is another performance which is definitely worth checking out. World renowned organ virtuoso, Joey DeFrancesco, will be performing with his trio on February 12^th for two shows (7:30pm & 9:30pm). This is a fantastic opportunity to check out a simply outstanding performance that will be full of blistering speed and fantastic control. Make sure you come and see what the hype is about and make your reservations now.

Spread the word and tell everyone you know about the new UrbanCincy nights at the Blue Wisp.

Preview Dan Faehnle's latest record - Ohio Lunch - now!
Preview Joey DeFrancesco now!

Fountain Square District

Tonight I had the pleasure of eating at Nada, watching broomball on Fountain Square and having a digestiff at the Rock Bottom Brewery.

I was joined by my grandparents, who live in West Chester. Both Nada and Rock Bottom were packed. When we made Nada reservations, about a week ago, we had the choice of 6 or 9:30. My Grandfather remarked that he was amazed to see this many people Downtown on a Monday.

My response: Not anymore.

We have far to go, and much more work is to be done, but we have turned the corner, there is new energy and new investment in the urban core. The revitalization of Fountain Square has spilled out into the surrounding area. The private sector has responded to a public infrastructure improvement and invested in the area. We should continue this model by investing in the Cincinnati Streetcar to spread growth, opportunity and development throughout the urban core.