CityBeat | April 19, 2023

PUBLISHER TONY FRANK

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASHLEY MOOR

DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR

KATHERINE BARRIER

STAFF WRITERS

MADELINE FENING

KATIE GRIFFITH

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

HAIMANTI GERMAIN

PRODUCTION MANAGER

MERCENARY CREATIVE GROUP

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ASPEN SMIT

CONTRIBUTING CRITICS

THEATER CRITIC: RICK PENDER

DINING CRITIC: PAMA MITCHELL

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ANNE ARENSTEIN, BRIAN BAKER, STEPHEN NOVOTNI, BRIAN CROSS, HAYLEY DAY, JANE DURRELL, BILL FURBEE, JASON GARGANO, GREGORY GASTON, AUSTIN GAYLE, MCKENZIE GRAHAM, NICK GREVER, KATIE GRIFFITH, KATIE HOLOCHER, BEN L. KAUFMAN, DEIRDRE KAYE, JAC KERN, HARPER LEE, MADGE MARIL, ANNE MITCHELL, LAUREN MORETTO, TAMERA

LENZ MUENTE, JACKIE MULAY, JUDE

NOEL, GARIN PIRNIA, KATHY SCHWARTZ, MARIA SEDA-REEDER, LEYLA SHOKOOHE, SAMI STEWART, STEVEN ROSEN, KATHY Y. WILSON, P.F. WILSON, MORGAN ZUMBIEL

BOLLINGER, SCOTT DITTGEN, JESSE FOX, PHIL HEIDENREICH, KHOI NGUYEN, BRITTANY THORNTON, RON

After Texas Ruling, What Does a Misoprostol-Only Abortion Look Like?

Misoprostol-only abortions can leave patients bleeding and cramping for weeks, but doctors say the regimen is still very safe.

Abortion providers in Ohio are still going to offer abortion medication to patients, despite recent efforts to ban one of the key drugs used in the process, Planned Parenthood announced April 11.

Just before Easter weekend, a conservative federal judge in Texas, Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, released a decision to pause the Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of the abortion drug mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex) which ends a pregnancy within the first 10 weeks of gestation.

On April 14, the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the lower court's ruling that imposed limits on access to mifepristone so that justices could review the case.

Medical abortions are still on

the table in Ohio

As of press time, the access to mifepristone is still in flux, but Dr. Adarsh

Krishen, chief medical officer for

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, said doctors can continue offering medical abortions to patients who want to choose pills over a surgical procedure.

“There is an alternative regimen that we can use for patients that choose to have a medication abortion that involves just misoprostol only,” he said. “It’s still a safe and effective regimen, it’s just not as patient-convenient or patient-centric as the current regimen.”

The current regimen for medicated abortions includes both mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone ends the pregnancy by blocking progesterone, the hormone needed to keep the pregnancy going. Then, 24-48 hours later, misoprostol helps to expel the fetal tissue from the body.

Dr. Krishen said the combination of the two drugs allows the patient to have a lot more predictability of when their pregnancy is going to end, and bleeding and cramping usually lasts about a day.

“We usually recommend somebody rest the day they have the passage just to allow them a chance to recover, but usually by the next day they are able to resume normal activity,” he said.

The physical experience of a misoprostol-only abortion

In a misoprostol-only abortion regimen, Dr. Krishen said there’s a lot more variation in timing of when that pregnancy may end, as well as prolonged bleeding and cramping.

“If you’re a person who needs to work or need to do other things in your life, it will make that much more complicated,” Dr. Krishen said. “You start by taking the first of your four doses of misoprostol in the [abortion clinic] and then every three hours afterward you take four more tablets. Bleeding will start anywhere from 1-4 hours after that first dose and about 80% of people will pass tissue within the first 24 hours and the bleeding may last up to one to two weeks.”

In addition to prolonged bleeding, Dr. Krishen said more side effects are likely with the misoprostol-only regimen.

“Because of the type of medication misoprostol is, there’s more likely to be nausea from taking the medication,” he said. “Usually your pain and cramping lasts longer with the misoprostol. That has more to do with the physiological effects, that’s what misoprostol does is it causes the cramping and contraction of the uterus, though it’s a more prolonged process.”

Dr. Krishen assures that both regimens are equally safe, with both having a complication rate of less than one percent. He said the misoprostol-only regimen is standard in some countries where mifepristone is already sparse.

“If you look across the world, about half the countries where abortion is legal and accessible, they do not have access to mifepristone for any variety of reasons, cost being the most common one of them,” he said.

Abortion is still accessible in Ohio up until 22 weeks gestation. Booking the appointment for the state-mandated abortion consultation, which takes place at least 24 hours before the actual abortion appointment, can take up to four weeks in some Ohio cities. Planned Parenthood said the potential restrictions on prescribing mifepristone shouldn’t impact appointment wait times.

Complaint Says Amazon is Requiring Kentucky Air Hub Employees Attend Anti-Union Presentations

The unionizing employees of Amazon’s largest Air Hub, KCVG in Hebron, Kentucky, allege the company is illegally requiring employees to attend presentations with misleading information about unions.

Union organizer Griffin Ritze said Amazon started bringing in corporate employees known as “Employee Relations Managers” to the Air Hub on April 3. The employees, who Amazon confirmed to CityBeat are full-time Amazon employees and not consultants, hold up to four meetings a day at the Air Hub, known as “captive audience meetings.”

Captive audience meetings

The meetings are commonly held by employers to dissuade employees from unionizing, but there are national labor laws that prevent companies from threatening or pressuring employees outright during captive audience meetings.

Seth Goldstein, a lawyer representing the Amazon Labor Union, told CityBeat that employers are required to tell employees that meetings about unions are always optional.

“In order to meet with the employee about the union, either as a captive audience or one on one, the employer now has to the say to the employee, ‘Do

you want to attend this meeting? You don’t have to if you don’t want, and if you don’t attend it, you’re not going to be disciplined for not attending,'” he said. “They cannot be compelled anymore to go to that meeting.”

Ritze told CityBeat that Amazon frames the meetings as required.

“A manager will come find you and say, ‘Hey, we’re having this employee relations-related meeting at this time,’ and then they’ll labor-track you. You’ll scan into the meeting and scan out so your time’s accounted for. Anytime that you’re told to scan in for something, you’re given the impression that it’s mandatory,” he said.

Griffin also said a manager named Jordan (last name unavailable) told a group of employees on April 10 that they were required to attend a captive audience meeting, which has prompted union organizers to file a complaint against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. The complaint is just one of a dozen made against the Air Hub from union organizers since November 2022.

“I was talking to a crew this morning that went to [a meeting] and they were like, ‘Yeah we all said we didn’t want to go, and they said we have to,’” Ritze said.

Amazon did not respond to CityBeat’s questions about the manager telling

employees outright that the meetings was required, but did provide this statement:

“It’s our employees’ choice whether or not to join a union. It always has been. Holding meetings about unions with employees is a process that’s been legally recognized for more than 70 years. Like many other companies, we hold these meetings because it’s important that everyone understands the facts about joining a union and the election process itself,” said Mary Kate Paradis, a public relations manager for Amazon.

Inside the meetings

Video provided to CityBeat by an Amazon employee shows one of these meetings from start to finish. At no point did a presenting employee relations manager say the meeting was optional for employees.

In the video, an employee relations manager by the name of Shawn Baxter describes a union as a business.

“A union is business, and just like any other business you either sell goods or you sell services,” Baxter says in the video, wearing a fluorescent orange work vest and jeans. “And in this case, a union sells a service, and that service is called representation. So, in exchange for money – which they have a fancy

word for, called ‘dues’ – in exchange for dues or money, they provide the service of representing you. Rather than speaking for yourself, you have a union representative who is speaking on behalf of you.”

After the meeting is let out, an employee can be heard asking why employees weren’t told the presentations are not mandatory to attend. The employee can be heard telling a presenter that withholding that information amounts to union busting.

The presenter responds by raising his voice saying, “it’s not union busting!”

Amazon did not respond to CityBeat’s request for information about employee relations managers’ duties outside of holding captive audience meetings.

The union's demands

Union organizers are demanding a $30 hourly wage for all of the Air Hub's 4,000 employees, as well as 180 hours of paid time off and union representation at disciplinary hearings. KCVG is the first Air Hub to publicly organize in the country.

Air Hub employees started union efforts in November after upper management announced there would be no peak pay for the 2022 holiday rush. Peak pay in 2021 was an extra $2 per hour. Workers spoke with CityBeat in December about challenges of working during the holiday season when Amazon package volumes swell and employees were required to perform mandatory overtime with a freeze on paid time off.

College Hill Residents Ask Hamilton Ave. Drivers to Slow Down, Call on CPD to Do More

Residents of Northside and College Hill who are fed up with vehicles speeding down Hamilton Avenue gathered along the street on April 12 to ask drivers to slow down.

Mark Ventura organized the demonstration for the College Hill Grass Roots Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) group, which holds monthly “action days” that promote pedestrian and cyclist safety. Ventura asked neighbors to meet outside Kiki College Hill and pick up one of the many signs that said “Slow Down!” or "Speed Limit: 25.” He said the speeding problem on Hamilton Avenue starts at Galbraith Road and doesn’t stop.

“We have people stretched from College Hill to Clifton; this goes all the way down Hamilton Avenue until this road turns into Ludlow. It’s not just a College Hill issue; it’s a Cincinnati issue,” Ventura said.

Low-vision pedestrians

Samantha Steenz lives in College Hill and uses the crosswalks on Hamilton Avenue regularly. She turned out for Wednesday’s demonstration because she has issues with her

vision, and she’s not confident cars are considering her when driving down Hamilton Avenue.

per hour, depending on the stretch of blocks, but advocates find that most drivers are exceeding the limit.

Advocates call on police

Ventura attributes the issue to a lack of enforcement, saying Cincinnati Police aren’t doing enough to cite dangerous drivers.

“We want the citations to reflect the reality of what we’re seeing with our very own eyes. That’s our ask of CPD. We appreciate all the lip service. I know they’re stretched thin,” Ventura said. “We see that you’re stretched thin, but do something about it.”

Cincinnati Police conducted a series of “traffic blitz” operations in late 2022, issuing hundreds of speeding citations across multiple traffic corridors, including Hamilton Avenue.

Between Oct. 10 and Oct. 21, officers issued 290 speeding tickets, but data found on CincyInsights shows the number of traffic stops across the city still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Mae Terpenning lives near the busy restaurant district along Hamilton Avenue in College Hill. She said pedestrians need to carry an orange flag while using crosswalks to be seen by drivers.

"We're trying to get control of our streets," she said. "You see these orange buckets here? You pick up a flag and walk across the street, and that's how we have to get safety at our crosswalks."

The speed limit on Hamilton Avenue fluctuates between 25 and 35 miles

Matt Butler has collected independent speed data on Hamilton Avenue outside Cincinnati Children’s Hospital College Hill. While collecting data in March 2022, Butler, with the help of his team at the Devou Good Foundation, an active transportation advocacy group in Cincinnati, found most drivers were exceeding the 35-mile-perhour speed limit.

“About 75% of the drivers were going above 35 miles per hour,” Butler said. “Top speed was 98 miles per hour.”

In 2019, officers made 23,112 traffic stops; that number dropped by more than half in 2020 with only 11,324 stops. 2021 was almost the same with 11,274 stops, and 2022 saw a slight increase with 12,603.

While TAPS organizers wait for more traffic stops from CPD, they said the group of concerned Northsiders and College Hill residents will keep holding monthly action meetings to try and calm Cincinnati’s fastest drivers.

“This is a neighborhood, not a highway. I think that’s why people are showing up,” Ventura said.

“You’re taking your life into your own hands when you cross the street, especially someone like me whose vision is not that great. I can’t see super far away. It creates anxiety,” Samantha Steenz said. “Don’t assume everyone has the same level of vision as you do.”

Bengals Running Back Joe Mixon Will Face Aggravated Menacing Charges After All

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon will face aggravated menacing charges after all, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.

On April 19, Mixon will have to appear before a Hamilton County judge for charges related to a Jan. 21 incident in which Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at a woman and made threats. According to documents filed in Hamilton County Municipal Court, Mixon allegedly told the woman, "You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you. The police [can't] get me."

The aggravated menacing charge is a first-degree misdemeanor and could carry a maximum jail sentence of 180 days, a maximum of five years of probation and fines.

Police initially filed charges against Mixon for the alleged incident on Feb. 2, but a Hamilton County prosecutor announced Cincinnati Police would drop the charges the following day. In a press statement, CPD said the case investigator had failed to follow instructions to submit the case for a cursory review before any possible charge was filed.

Since then, CPD has continued

the investigation and announced on April 7 that charges were re-filed based on new evidence.

"This decision was reached following the discovery of new evidence during the investigative process," CPD said in a statement issued Friday.

This is not the first misdemeanor charge against Mixon, who is 26 years old. In 2014, a surveillance video captured Mixon punching a female student in the face, knocking her out at a restaurant in Oklahoma. At the time, Mixon, then 18, was attending the University of Oklahoma. He was charged with misdemeanor assault, suspended from the football team for one year and was ordered to perform community service and undergo counseling as part of a plea agreement.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Mixon during the second round in 2017. Over his career with the Bengals, he's rushed for a total of 5,378 yards and 40 touchdowns. During the 2022 season, he had 814 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, including five touchdowns during the Nov. 6 win against the Carolina Panthers. He has two contract years remaining with Cincinnati.

Ohio: A State of Flux

There’s a chance Ohio could become a safe haven for medical marijuana users and casual tokers in 2023. Legislation to expand the state’s medical program is making its way through the statehouse, even as a citizens’ push seeks to get recreational weed on the November ballot.

In order to understand what’s now allowed, what could change through these efforts and what the future may look like for local cannabis users, take a deep breath and consider Ohio’s everevolving marijuana landscape.

Current weed laws in Ohio

Ohio decriminalized marijuana in small amounts in 1975, but that doesn’t mean it’s legal to use recreationally. If someone is caught in possession of less than 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces, which is known as a traditional “eighth”), they can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $150.

Possession of anything more than an eighth of weed is considered criminal and could result in a felony charge depending on the amount or other factors in the arrest.

Even with decades of decriminalization, Black people in Ohio are 3.4 times more likely to get arrested for marijuana possession than white people, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 2015, Ohioans voted against legalizing recreational marijuana, but voted in favor of medical marijuana sales the following year. It wasn’t until 2019 that patients could start buying medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries, of which there are currently 68 in the state.

Medical requirements to be prescribed marijuana

In order to legally buy and possess medical weed, Ohio residents must be diagnosed with one of the following conditions by a certified doctor:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Cachexia, wasting syndrome

• Cancer

• Chronic pain (severe/intractable)

• Crohn’s disease

• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

• Epilepsy (seizures)

• Fibromyalgia

• Glaucoma

• HIV/AIDS

• Hepatitis C

• Huntington’s disease

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

• Multiple sclerosis

• Parkinson’s disease

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Sickle cell anemia

• Spasticity

• Spinal cord injury

• Terminal illness

• Tourette syndrome

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

• Ulcerative colitis

In 2021, the State Medical Board of Ohio confirmed that arthritis, chronic migraines and complex regional pain syndrome are all considered either chronic or intractable pain conditions that would qualify for a prescription under the existing list.

How do medical patients consume their cannabis?

While smoking marijuana is historically the most popular form of consumption, especially for recreational users, patients of the state’s medical program have more limited options for treating their condition.

The only approved forms of medical marijuana in Ohio are oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles, lotions, creams and patches. The law prohibits the use of medical marijuana by smoking via combustion (read: a joint) but does allow for vaping. The law also prohibits licensed retailers from selling any form of marijuana that is considered “attractive to children.”

A patient can petition the state for permission to use a different method of consuming medical cannabis, but smoking is expressly forbidden.

And just because you qualify for medical weed doesn’t mean you can buy it on the street. Medical marijuana patients

must purchase their cannabis from a state-approved distributor, and each patient can only possess up to a 90-day supply at once. Patients are not allowed to grow their own marijuana.

How many Ohioans have been approved for medical marjuana?

As of Feb. 28, 2023, Ohio had 166,643 medical marijuana patients with both an active registration and an active recommendation, meaning they have the greenlight from both a doctor and the state to buy cannabis. Since the program kicked off in 2019, the state has seen 346,582 patients register, 21,028 of them with military veteran status.

The state does allow children to receive prescriptions for medical marijuana with the consent of a parent, but data on the number of children in Ohio’s program is not publicly available.

If a patient from another state that also has a medical marijuana program wants to buy cannabis legally in Ohio, the two states would first need to enter into a reciprocity agreement. In order for out-of-state patients to qualify for medical marijuana use, Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy must prove the other state’s medical marijuana program is “substantially comparable” to Ohio’s, and that the other state would recognize a patient registration card issued in Ohio. Ohio has yet to enter into any reciprocity agreements, although the Board of Pharmacy is required to “attempt in good faith” to do so.

Senate Bill 9

In January, state senators Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, and Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, introduced Senate Bill 9, which would allow doctors to recommend cannabis for any debilitating condition and would expand dispensaries and growers in the state.

The bill would shift regulation of the medical program away from the Board of Pharmacy to a commission within the Department of Commerce. The 13-person commission, appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, would include doctors, law enforcement and addiction specialists. SB9 would also loosen restrictions on out-of-state medical card holders and would allow dispensaries to advertise on social media and offer drive-thru service.

Ballot vote to legalize marijuana

While SB9 expands access to marijuana for some, advocates with the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol want to put legal weed on the ballot for all.

The coalition’s proposal would, as its name suggests, regulate marijuana much like alcohol. Ohioans age 21 and older would be able to buy and possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. They could also grow their own marijuana — up to six plants individually or no more than 12 in a household with multiple adults.

After efforts to get near-total legalization on the ballot fell through in 2022, state lawmakers agreed to reintroduce the coalition’s initiative in January 2023. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose submitted the proposed statute to lawmakers on Jan. 3. They have until May 3 to approve it, which they likely won’t — and if they don’t, the question will go before voters.

Polling from 2022 suggests Ohioans might be in favor.

Emerson College conducted a poll of 410 likely voters in February 2022, asking, “Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational purposes in Ohio?” Results showed 50.4% of respondents in favor of legalizing recreational weed, 39.7% opposed and 10.0% undecided.

Kentucky: Grass for the Bluegrass State

After a long and unconventional path, Kentucky is set to establish a medical marijuana program, although it’s likely to be one of the most restrictive in the country and it won’t begin until 2025.

After several years of failed attempts to pass similar legislation, a bipartisan medical marijuana bill cleared the Commonwealth’s Republican-controlled General Assembly on March 30, the final day of the 2023 session, and was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear the next day.

The program will be operated by the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services and offers eligibility to patients with one of at least six conditions, including cancer, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea and posttraumatic stress disorder. Under the bill,

patients will not be allowed to smoke marijuana, but will be able to vape and ingest it.

The bill is separate from Gov. Beshear’s November executive order, which automatically pardons Kentuckians with 21 medical conditions who obtain up to eight ounces of marijuana out of state and bring it back to the Commonwealth — provided they have documentation of their medical condition and keep a receipt for the marijuana.

That executive order went into effect on Jan. 1 — and will likely be all that medical marijuana users have to lean on until the state program is established in two years. Even so, some critics have challenged the governor’s action as flawed and convoluted. Beshear himself called the order “imperfect.”

In short, there’s a lot to unpack.

Beshear’s executive order

When Gov. Beshear’s executive order took effect on January 1, 2023, it theoretically opened the door for people with among 21 qualifying medical conditions — or their caregivers — to possess and use small amounts of marijuana in Kentucky. The order doesn’t allow dispensaries in the state, but instead says that qualifying people who bring back and use legally obtained marijuana would automatically receive a pardon if needed. The caveats are that the patient or caregiver can possess no more than 8 ounces, they must keep their receipts and they must have documentation from a licensed healthcare professional of the qualifying medical condition. The governor’s office also said it provided “palm cards” to state law enforcement agencies to advise them on the rules of the order.

Because most states with medical marijuana require out-of-state users to be cardholders from a reciprocal program, Kentuckians currently have the best chance of obtaining legal marijuana from the two bordering states with recreational dispensaries: Illinois and Missouri.

The qualifying medical conditions under the executive order are cancer, ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease, epilepsy, intractable seizures, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, severe and chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, cachexia/ wasting syndrome, neuropathies, severe arthritis, hepatitis C, fibromyalgia, intractable pain, Huntington’s disease, HIV or AIDS, glaucoma and terminal illness.

When I co-reported a story last December about the executive order for CityBeat’s sister paper in Louisville, LEO Weekly, advocates and supporters were cautiously optimistic that the governor’s action would be an incremental improvement, but several sources pointed out confusing and problematic aspects.

For instance, two members of the General Assembly who have each consistently sponsored marijuana-related legislation — one Republican, one Democrat — both expressed qualms with Beshear’s action.

State Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat who supports

decriminalization of marijuana, called the executive order a “modest step forward” but said she has concerns about how the pardons would work and how compliance with the order would be enforced.

“On a practical level, how is somebody supposed to navigate this?” she told LEO State Rep. Jason Nemes — a Republican who has been a longtime advocate for medical marijuana in the General Assembly — told LEO, “The governor knows it’s not legal, but he’s doing it anyway for politics.” In that same conversation late last year, Nemes told LEO that despite his feelings about the executive order, he was open to working with Beshear leading up to the 2023 General

Assembly because passing a medical marijuana bill was “all hands on deck.”

In March, on the day that the medical marijuana bill was signed into law, Beshear and Nemes were at the press conference together, all smiles and compliments.

The General Assembly’s bill

Prior to the medical marijuana bill passing in March, Kentucky’s previous two legislative sessions saw a similar bill make it through the statehouse, only to be stalled and never voted on in the Senate.

In those previous sessions, both bills were sponsored by Nemes, who has

spent years trying to persuade his fellow Republicans that Kentuckians suffering from serious medical conditions need medical marijuana access.

In the 2023 session, Nemes didn’t file a bill in the House, saying it needed to clear the Senate first.

That tactic proved successful. The legislation that passed, Senate Bill 47, allows “registered qualified patients” and designated caregivers to purchase up to what the Cabinet for Health and Family Services determines is an “uninterrupted” 30-day supply during a “given” 25-day period. A “visiting qualified patient” can purchase up to a 10-day supply during a “given” 8-day period.

Even qualified patients, though, may not smoke marijuana in public; they

could be charged with a crime and lose their cardholding status. A board created by the cabinet will also be able to recommend other conditions to be included in eligibility.

Right before he signed the bill into law, Beshear reflected on the day he announced the executive order and how it fit into his ultimate goal.

“That day and the many days that followed, I talked about that executive order being imperfect, and that we needed legislative action, and last night the General Assembly delivered,” Beshear said at the press conference.

Nemes also spoke during the press conference, offering his perspective on what the medical program will mean for Kentucky.

“There are thousands and thousands of Kentuckians who just want to be — and feel — better. This will help them with that,” James Nemes said, with Beshear standing by his side.

He continued: “This is such a good bill because there are tens of thousands of Kentuckians who will never know our names, who will never walk these halls, but will be helped. So, I’m happy to have played a small part in that.”

A Guide to Medical Cannabis on the Border

Q: If I’m a medical marijuana card holder in Ohio, can I bring my weed/weed products into Kentucky?

A: Even as a legal prescription holder, you can’t bring your medical marijuana products out of the state of Ohio, including Kentucky. Your medical card also doesn’t work in other states, but there is a process in some states to petition for entry into their medical weed program as an out-of-state patient.

Q: What if I’m not actively using my prescribed cannabis but I pop into Kentucky while running errands and it’s in my car – can I still get in trouble?

A: Because your Ohio medical weed products can’t cross the Kentucky border, you should drop your weed off at home before you go anywhere out of state, even if you’re just popping into a store in Northern Kentucky while running errands. You have to keep your medical marijuana product locked in your trunk anytime you drive with your supply. So, even if you find yourself in Kentucky after hitting the dispensary, try to avoid any interactions with police that might lead to a trunk search. Possession of up to eight ounces of marijuana in Kentucky is a misdemeanor, even if it’s medical marijuana from Ohio, which is punishable by up to 45 days in jail and up to $250 in fines.

Q: As an Ohio resident, can I smoke my medical weed outside in Ohio?

A: No. Even if you’re meters away from Kentucky on the Ohio side of the river, you still can’t consume your medical weed products outside. While a gorgeous day on the Banks might sound nice for popping a gummy or hitting your THC vape, Ohio medical card holders are required to medicate in a private residence – it doesn’t have to be your house, but it has to be someone’s private place.

Q: If I live in Kentucky, and have a qualifying underlying condition, can I purchase medical marijuana in Ohio?

A: Not right now. Under Ohio law, a reciprocity agreement with another state is required to allow that state’s cardholders to use Ohio’s medical marijuana program. Because Kentucky currently does not have a medical marijuana program running, the Commonwealth can not enter into a reciprocity agreement with other states, including Ohio. In 2025, when Kentucky’s medical marijuana program starts up, it’s likely the two states will have discussions concerning a reciprocity agreement.

Q: If I live in Kentucky – and fall under the conditions of Gov. Andy Beshear’s executive order – can I bring marijuana into Ohio?

A: No. Beshear’s executive order offers automatic pardons to people with certain medical conditions if they legally purchase marijuana outside of Kentucky and are caught with it back in the Commonwealth. He obviously can’t pardon people who are arrested in another state. It’s also worth noting that there is still a federal prohibition on transferring marijuana across state lines.

RETURN TO THE WORK OF AUGUST WILSON.

It’s 1948 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, and a group of old friends gathers to mourn and reminisce about Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton — a gifted guitarist whose untimely death has irrevocably changed each of them. With live blues and lyrical dialogue, August Wilson’s Tony Awardwinning play — a part of his American Century Cycle — promises a soulful exploration of the ties that bind and the chords that hold us together.

The Chinese Lady is a darkly poetic yet whimsical story about Afong Moy — thought to be the first Chinese woman to step foot on U.S. soil in 1834.

ARTS & CULTURE

Flipping the Script

Local actor and director Torie Wiggins’ latest play is a reinvention of a classic interracial love story.

We live in an enlightened society, right? When we watch a classic film, let’s say Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? from 1967, we might think we’ve come a long way in race relations. In that film, a white family is discomfited when their daughter brings home her fiancé, an accomplished young man who happens to be Black, and his parents. After some extremely awkward ups and downs, the film seems to indicate that love will help them overcome challenges and discrimination.

Local actor and director Torie Wiggins has taken a different tack on that story with her play, Who All Over There?, getting its world premiere at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC). Recalling the 1967 film, Wiggins has flipped the script.

In a recent YouTube video about the

production for ETC, she said, “In our current climate, a white man walking into a Black family’s house, I often wondered what that must’ve felt like for him. When I was thinking about the tone of this play, that’s what came to mind: being in the space of each other’s culture.”

Wiggins’ recently commissioned play is about Danya Martin (Maliyah Gramata-Jones), an aspiring Black singer, and Dean Willis (Spencer Lackey), a white young financial professional. He initiates an awkward conversation with her at an art gallery, gets quickly turned down but persists, resulting in a candid get-acquainted date. They keep it real, having a refreshing contemporary conversation about the challenges faced by people who decide to step into interracial relationships. Wiggins’ script literally fast-forwards (with amusing

projected comments) through a month leading up to Dean’s invitation to Sunday dinner with the whole Martin family.

Wiggins applied the Black vernacular phrase she’s used as her title to shorthand how this unfolds: “It really means,” she explained via YouTube, “‘What am I about to walk into? Am I prepared?’ Like, if I’m invited to a party, but I don’t feel like being all levels of social, I might just ask, ‘Who all over there?’”

The “who all” in Wiggins’ play are the Martins, a lovingly outspoken middle-class Black family, living in Cincinnati in 2019. Danya’s parents Deirdre (Keisha L. Kemper) and John (Kenneth Early) have tried hard to raise their children to be open-minded and progressive about race, but the reality of Danya’s new boyfriend, even before they meet him, sets them back on their heels. Danya’s brother “Truck” (Jay Wade) loves his sister, but he too is skeptical. And Petunia, “Aunt Toonie,” Deirdre’s sister (Kyndra Dyanne Jefferies), is especially and comically vocal about the troubles Danya is likely to face.

The first round of how things might unfold is a hilarious nightmare sequence in which Danya, sleeping on the living room couch, is horrified by a vision of her family in the trappings of a handful of 20th-century Black family TV sitcoms — Good Times, The Jeffersons, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and more. Dean shows up for dinner with a comically forced smile and a bottle of Crown Royal for Danya’s dad, wearing a PanAfrican red, black and green cap and vest, and announcing that his parents are Democrats who voted for Obama — twice. Danya squirms in discomfort witnessing the rapid downhill slide by her dream family members in silly, stereotyped, one-dimensional roles subtly foreshadowed by pre-show TV theme songs from the 1980s and 1990s.

That horror show dissipates quickly and amusingly, leading Dean and Danya to reinforce their belief that love will be enough to make things work. But his actual first meeting with the Martin family quickly and sadly goes off the tracks in a much more contemporary and painful way, laced with very real concerns about race relations in the 21st century, still fraught with

rough edges. Then a revelation about Dean’s past leads Danya to question if she has really gotten to know him. A rapid rewind leaves it to the audience to imagine how this relationship might have resolved.

Gramata-Jones as Danya convincingly plays a smart, sensitive young woman, guarded and realistic but willing to explore a relationship that will have its complications. Lackey has the right presence for the awkward but earnest Dean, with genuine motives that he’s not quite able to voice. Kemper and Early handle with finesse the roles of loving, if conservative, parents. Jefferies provides a lot of high-pitched humor as Danya’s frank Aunt Toonie. Wade’s smart-aleck, sports-obsessed kid brother Truck, who is genuinely concerned for his sister, is just right for his part.

Ensemble Theatre’s mission is to produce premieres of “works that

often explore compelling social issues,” according to a mission statement included on the theater’s website. That’s precisely what this clever and provocative script and production accomplish, without offering easy answers. Wiggins, a graduate of UC’s College-Conservatory of Music’s drama program, has frequently displayed her acting talent in numerous ETC productions (and with many other local theater companies). She has also directed with considerable success. Her writing of this script, full of humor and thoughtful interactions, demonstrates a new level of accomplishment. Three cheers for ETC in making it possible for audiences to see the greater breadth of her talent.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will present Who All Over There? through April 30 at 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. Info: ensemblecincinnati.org.

Swiftly staged (1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission) by New York director Stori Ayers, Who All Over There? has a fine cast.

CULTURE

New Contemporary Arts Center Exhibit Explores What Society Deems as Important Monuments and Heroes

an opportunity to rethink the idea of space regarding how art is showcased. “Art shifted from physical venues to the ether, in effect giving license for alternative exhibitions and the possibility of celebrating our own heroes,” he said.

Camnitzer decided to focus the exhibit on monuments due to their often large-scale impact and the importance society puts upon the structures themselves and those they’re often named after.

“Monuments celebrate individuals perceived as having done a significant service, too often in dubious causes, for powerful interests,” he said. “Yet, most heroic acts are anonymous and performed as help to fellow citizens, often with implications that call into question the legitimacy of those financing monuments.”

Before experiencing Monuments to Unknown Heroes, it’s essential to understand the meaning behind conceptual art displays. Where most art exhibits display polished paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and more as the finished product, conceptual art is more about the process, thoughts, and social impact behind the pieces displayed. It doesn’t deal with one medium but instead often combines paintings, sculpture, and more to bring the exhibit’s intended meaning to life.

Similar to the building blocks of conceptual art, Antilla believes museums should play a role in the “open dialogue” of society, displaying various viewpoints to paint a clearer picture of the exhibit’s intent.

“In this case, the topic of “public monuments” is put in the hands of more than 100 local and international creatives,” she says. “It asks, which individuals, histories, or events have been overlooked or under-recognized and yet should be memorialized? Some participants approach this prompt with humor or irony, and others take a serious look at the ways in which more complex and inclusive national, cultural, and personal histories might occupy public spaces, thereby transforming our collective memory.”

At the end of the exhibit, Camnitzer hopes viewers take away a different perspective of who we honor as a “hero” in society and use our individual freedom to make our own choices and decisions about who should be celebrated as one.

“Leaving aside the situation that prompted the idea, it is about having the freedom to choose our own heroes instead of just having them land on us,” he said. “There always are more unrecognized heroes than recognized ones, and it’s in our hands to correct that.”

There are some artists, architects, heroes and monuments many learn about in school, while others are hidden in plain sight even though they’ve made a lasting impact on society — until now.

From April 28 through August 27, the Contemporary Arts Center will be hosting conceptual artist Luis Camnitzer’s exhibit, Monuments to Unknown Heroes, to shine a light on the nameless trailblazers who’ve made a lasting impact on art, design and culture.

The exhibit will showcase various perspectives society often upholds when it comes to beloved and notable monuments while questioning “the socio-political and economic underpinnings that typically accompany the production of public monuments,” per an exhibit description on CAC’s website, which the artist believes truly came to light during the pandemic. The topic of reconsidering public monuments and who America upholds as a “hero” was most recently seen during the Black Lives Matter movement, where tensions over public monuments, especially

those that promoted oppression and racism, heightened nationwide.

“The project came about in the COVID environment,” Camnitzer told CityBeat. “There was a harsh accentuation of inequities in our society, with the paradox that white-collar professionals were able to escape the dangers of the outer world by staying locked within four walls, while first responders and people without white-collar jobs had little choice but to breathe fresh air.”

Camnitzer is a celebrated artist and educator who has been at the forefront of the conceptual art movement since the 1960s. His work often questions the status quo and focuses on social justice issues. Born in Germany, he moved to Uruguay when he was a toddler. He studied art at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Universidad de la República in Montevideo, and then studied sculpture at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich.

While most people have turned to a more virtual life since the beginning of the pandemic, Camnitzer took it as

Monuments to Unknown Heroes is a collaboration between Camnitzer’s overarching goal for the exhibit and images submitted through an open-call process that will appear in the show.

“When I invited the celebrated conceptual artist Luis Camnitzer to create an exhibition for the CAC, he surprised me by proposing a project that would amplify the voices of many other artists and not his own,” said CAC senior curator at large, Amara Antilla. “Monuments to Unknown Heroes really exemplifies the CAC’s commitment to community engagement and public exchange.”

The exhibit will showcase over 100 posters the CAC describes as “proposals for monuments.” For Camnitzer, monuments can also be more grounded and celebrate often overlooked individuals, such as nurses who are vital to our society’s well-being.

As a group, the photos will tell a story of how society memorializes spaces and gives them meaning and importance. The exhibit features various images, allowing the artist freedom to express the exhibit’s theme in their own way, such as through illustrated posters with thoughtful statements to pictures of works of art that reference the working class, like banana workers.

Monuments to Unknown Heroes runs from April 28 through Aug. 27 at the Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown. Info: contemporaryartscenter.org.

FOOD & DRINK

A Dining Renaissance

For those who remember its decline in recent decades, College Hill has become a surprisingly vibrant dining destination. The neighborhood’s renaissance started a few years ago with new residential construction along Hamilton Avenue. By 2021, a few restaurants had opened nearby, although they struggled through the slow times caused by the pandemic.

Within the past six months, a couple of developments got me up the hill to see what was cooking. In August, a new bakery called El Camino opened, and in January, the James Beard Foundation Award semi-final nominations included the husband-and-wife chefs at Kiki. It didn’t take long before I became a fan of both establishments — and found several other treats clustered nearby.

Clearly, Kiki is the shining star of the neighborhood. Though it opened in 2019, it took that James Beard nod to lure me in. (Kiki didn’t make the cut, however, in the final nomination round). With my lack of familiarity with Japanese food, most of the menu may as well be written in Japanese, so we

relied on two Kiki veterans at the next table, and our cheerful server, to help us order. They came through, big-time, and everything was marvelous, resulting in the best meal I’d had in ages. The menu changes frequently, but if they

have creamed crab spring rolls, pepe meshi or raspberry mochi cheesecake, I’d advise you to scarf them up.

Chef/owners Hideki and Yuko Harada refurbished a former bank building decorated with greenery and a large, whimsical mural. There are two small dining rooms and a charming, curved bar, all light wood and casual comfort. It’s open for dinner Thursday through Sunday, and I’m especially appreciative of the Sunday option as there aren’t many good choices for a Sunday dinner out.

Now there’s another fun place for

libations at the newest addition to the neighborhood, Big Chill. Cincinnati bar veterans Hannah Wheatley and Evan Wallis opened the doors to this cozy full-service establishment that’s open seven days a week, beginning at either one or three p.m. They don’t have kitchen facilities, but they’ll have a softserve ice cream window this summer. It’s tiny, with only about a dozen bar stools and a few high-top tables along the wall, but in fair weather you also can sit at one of the patio tables out back.

Earlier in the day, you might consider

Recently, the College Hill dining scene has been reinvigorated with the addition of several topnotch restaurants and bars.

sliding by El Camino Bakery, which sells spectacular pastries and very good coffee beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturdays. There’s no seating, but if the weather’s fine you don’t have to go far to find outdoor places to enjoy fine breakfast treats. El Camino is a joint venture between pastry queen Megan Ketover and Sixteen Bricks head baker and owner Ryan Morgan.

I’ve been a fan of Ketover for countless years, going back to when she was pastry chef at Orchid’s, where I always saved room for her desserts — and everywhere else she went after moving on from Orchid’s about six years ago. After stints at Boca, Sotto and the original Khora, she

partnered with Morgan to open the College Hill bakery. Her output at El Camino consists mostly of a variety of breakfast pastries along with occasional cookies and (if you’re lucky) brownies.

So far, Morgan makes only a few breads each week, and while you can count on pastries any time you visit, the bread choices may be limited. If you do luck into one of his hearty, unusual breads, I think you’ll be happy. On Saturday evenings, the bakery uses its ovens to make carryout pizzas, which are popular for patrons of nearby bars that don’t offer food, as well as folks from the neighborhood who know a good thing when they see it. And yes, the pizzas are first-rate.

Next door to El Camino is Brink Brewing Company, where my friend and I saw several tables with El Camino pizza boxes on them. Brink brews, and serves, up to a couple dozen beers in a wide variety of styles. Their frequently updated website gives in-depth descriptions of the sudsy offerings. There’s also a few hard seltzers, a couple of canned cocktails, one red and one white wine by the glass.

Two other worthy eateries round out the block surrounding Brink and El Camino. Having opened in 2019, Tortilleria Garcia is one of the College Hill renaissance pioneers. They do the thing that gets my attention for a Mexican restaurant by making their tortillas from scratch. You can enjoy their tacos, tamales and burritos indoors or out, and you also can buy their exemplary tortillas to try at home. They’re perfect for a pan of homemade enchiladas, a dish that reminds me of those my dad made during my Southern California childhood.

A few doors down, check out MashRoots Latin Street Food, one of the best carryout options on the north side of town. The mashed roots in question — yucca, taro, sweet potatoes or plantain — form the base for bowls topped by your choice of proteins, veggies and sauces. They also serve towering sandwiches and burgers that have developed quite a following in the neighborhood. The

provenance of this unusual, tasty food is Puerto Rican, from whence one of the restaurant’s owners hails. MashRoots recently opened a stand at Element Eatery, the new food hall in Madisonville. At the College Hill location, there’s plenty of seating, including on a covered patio.

Across the street from El Camino, the local breakfast-and-lunch chain Sleepy Bee has opened its fourth restaurant, where they’ve been experimenting with the chain’s first dinner service. That’s going under the name Smoky Moth, but as of this writing they have temporarily suspended it while revamping their menu.

Rounding out the neighborhood’s drinking and dining options are the long-running Chinese place, Chung Ching Restaurant; the even longerrunning diner-style restaurant, Bacall’s Cafe; and the inviting wine- and beeroriented shop, Marty’s Hops and Vines. A variety of seating and table styles takes up half of the space at Marty’s, which offers organized wine tastings as well as everyday opportunities for patrons to hang out and sample their favorite drinks along with a small variety of food accompaniments.

With such an array of enticements, including a couple of “destination” establishments, College Hill deserves to be on your dining radar.

Cincinnati Prime’s Sister Restaurant Primo Aims to Create Authentic Italian Dining Experience

Anchoring the prominent corner of Walnut and Sixth Streets Downtown, Prime Cincinnati has become a mainstay restaurant on a block known for some of the best restaurants in the city. Prime now has a sister restaurant in another downtown area, 30 minutes north of Cincinnati.

Prime is the spacious, upscale American steakhouse located just a block from the Aronoff Center for the Arts. Previously Prime 47, the current owner Nelson Castillo joined as general manager in 2015. He took over ownership and rebranded the restaurant in 2016. Prime Cincinnati has been known for serving up great service, a modern environment and, of course, fantastic steaks.

Prime uses only USDA Prime steaks from the Certified Angus Beef brand. Long-time Prime chef Shawn Heine works with the brand as an ambassador, educating his customers on what sets the premium product apart. Prime has received recognition from the brand as well — Certified Angus Beef named the Downtown restaurant as Steakhouse of the Year at their annual conference in 2019.

With a solid foundation to build on, Heine and Castillo have partnered to open another upscale steakhouse with

its own identity. Prime goes Italian with the new concept, Primo, located in Middletown.

Primo was originally slated to open on Main St. in Cincinnati, a few blocks from Prime, but the owners reconsidered after the city of Middletown invited them to consider that area, and presented their plan for revitalizing the city’s downtown business district.

“When we went there we were really impressed about the location and all the potential they have,” Castillo told CityBeat.

Castillo said a lot of Prime Cincinnati’s customers are visiting from suburban areas in Butler and Warren Counties.

“When we do our market analysis, we continue to have big support from there. And we always wanted to open an Italian steakhouse. So the suburbs will probably be a big market for us, based on the guests that are coming into the city.”

According to Castillo, Primo will stay true to what makes Prime a successful destination restaurant: using the freshest and highest quality ingredients available, and the promise of delivering a next-level memorable experience.

Part of that memorable experience is an Italian steakhouse menu that is

truly authentic. When Heine set out to develop such a menu, he wasn’t satisfied with the first draft.

“I had a pretty good menu but it wasn’t really authentic authentic,” Heine told CityBeat

So he did what any good chef would do — he went to Italy for seven days to learn from the founder of the Culinary Institute of Bologna. In the mountains of the Emilia-Romagna region, he and Chef Stefano Corvucci cooked each day (and night) using fresh ingredients sourced from the butchers and markets in the local town.

Castillo said Heine’s practice in Italy ensures they’re bringing the taste of true authentic Italian cooking to guests at Primo. Chef Corvucci also connected Heine with Italian exporters that work with local farms and other food producers.

Along with olive oil and tomatoes, Primo sources many other ingredients straight from Italy, like sea salt from Sicily, fresh branzino (European sea bass), and even the Calla flour they use to make pasta.

“They’re all family farms. Down to the Consorzio Vacche Rosse, the Parmigiano cheese we use. So there’s a lot of smaller farms that we’re able to use in Italy.” Heine said.

The pasta is made in-house using a pasta maker, also from Italy.

“We’re making pasta fresh every day, we’re making ravioli, lasagna, everything is fresh every day,” Heine said.

If all of this sounds expensive, Castillo and Heine say it doesn’t have to be. The steaks are big enough to share, while the pastas come in personal portions.

Heine says, “You could spend 30 bucks and have a meal, or you could go in there and spend $200 and have a meal. There’s different variations you can do, especially when it comes to the pastas and all that.”

Castillo stresses that the cuisine at Primo is very traditional Italian, with flavors that aren’t drowned out by excessive spice like black pepper and paprika.

“All that heavy stuff is not going to be there. It’s a really fresh taste. I call it ‘naked’,” Castillo says. “You’re going to be able to try the naked flavors of the fresh products.”

Inside, Primo combines modern decor and accents with the historic architecture of the building to create just the right feel.

“We got the inspiration from Venice, from the marble tables, Murano decorations, all this clean style to make the

guests feel that it’s like a little corner in Venice,” Castillo said.

Primo brings a taste of Italy stateside, but it also brings a taste of metropolitan dining to the suburbs. Castillo says there’s nothing comparable to Primo within about a 20-25-mile radius. But Middletown has its own attractions and history that it celebrates.

“We’re using a beautiful historic building. We’re next to the BeauVerre stained glass store; it’s a destination place. What we’re trying to create is an experience of a traditional Italian steakhouse,” Castillo said.

Like Prime Cincinnati, Primo will be a draw to nearby theatergoers as well. The historical Sorg Opera House is located on the same block. The 1,200-seat theater was designed by Cincinnati’s own Samuel Hannaford, who also designed Cincinnati Music Hall, City Hall and a host of other buildings in the area.

Downtown Middletown established Ohio’s first DORA district (designated outdoor refreshment area), 7 days a week, which lends a laissez-faire environment of fun even when one of the numerous outdoor festivals or events aren’t happening. Castillo

said Middletown is working hard and investing in the area to bring in new businesses.

With Middletown gaining momentum and offering plenty to take in, a visit to Primo is a way to slow down and extend your enjoyment of a night out. Servers take the time to explain the menu courses and options, and offer a high level of service, according to Castillo. It’s all a part of the ‘experience’ that he refers to.

“We try to make sure we’re delivering the experience because they’re not going to a show or to dinner to rush

themselves. They’re going to enjoy their family, their dinner — the whole experience.”

Primo is currently in a soft opening phase, open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. A grand opening is scheduled for May 19. Heine said a Cincinnati Primo location is planned to open at 830 Main St. in Downtown by the end of the year.

MUSIC

Queen of Hearts

Snail Mail’s sophomore album, Valentine, showcases a wiser, more sophisticated side of the musician.

Valentine, the second album by Lindsey Jordan under the moniker Snail Mail, opens with her hushed voice delivering the following sentiments as atmospheric keyboards linger in the background: “Let’s go be alone/Where no one can see us, honey/ Careful in that room/Those parasitic cameras, don’t they stop to stare at you?”

Another verse rife with lyrics about a relationship gone rocky follows, this time with the addition of a modest drumbeat, before an explosive, guitarjuiced chorus kicks in as Jordan’s equally tone-shifting vocals demand, “So why’d you wanna erase me, darling valentine?” She elongates the pronunciation of “erase me,” which adds an extra layer of urgency.

It’s quite the scene setter — and a clear refinement of the talents Jordan flashed on Lush, the unusually assured full-length debut she dropped in 2018 when the Maryland native was all of 19 years old. Valentine, which surfaced in late 2021, again hinges on Jordan’s acutely personal lyrical observations but it opens up sonically, lacing her love of 1990s indie rock (most

obviously early Liz Phair) with a more sophisticated musicality (think the late-era explorations of Elliott Smith).

Valentine’s second song, “Ben Franklin,” cements the shift. Swirling keyboards and a deep, throbbing bass line provide a moody backdrop for Jordan’s yearning vocals, which seethe with resentment and regret, highlighted by this admission: “Got money,

I don’t care about sex.”

Valentine is a curious juxtaposition of raw, intimate emotions and elegant grandiosity, a somehow cohesive vision replete with accompanying art design — the stark, pink-hued album cover features Jordan gazing directly at us with a knowing look on her face, as if signaling the musical journey we’re about to experience with her.

“Ever since I started writing music for the first time, I feel like the idea of writing an album was scary to me and seemed like an impossible task,” Jordan says in a recent phone interview with CityBeat. “Finding influences with entire records that spoke to me was a huge part of me getting into music. I’m always really interested to see what the artist is trying to put together with an album.

“I’ve been worshiping people who do it since I was 6,” she continues on the topic of her reverence for the album format. “So just being in this position, I take it seriously to try to study the things that I love and try to make something from it if I’m going to have a part in the music conversation at all. I want to make great work that I’m proud of.”

Jordan says. “He’s just been really nice and supportive to me. There was a lot going on at the time, and I really wanted to work with somebody who I knew would let me take the wheel. I had already fleshed out the demos on Logic (Pro) for like seven months and wrote the harmonies and the synth parts and some of the string-section parts before I even got into a real studio, just in my apartment.”

Cook let her lead the way and made suggestions when necessary.

“I’ve worked with other producers where it is agony making the vocal take and it’s a compilation of parts. Both approaches are valid, but I liked that Brad was just like, ‘Let’s do a take and it’s not that big of a deal.’ We were smoking joints and doing one take and being like, ‘It’s done,’ and then agonizing over everything else. That made me feel more excited about doing it. It was more fun. I feel like the emotions were flowing in the room.”

Exhibit A is the slow-burning album closer “Mia,” which wouldn’t be out of place on Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely. Jordan’s fragile, emotive voice mingles with strings and a lightly

Jordan co-produced Valentine with Brad Cook (who has worked with the likes of Bon Iver, Waxahatchee and The War on Drugs, among many others) at his studio in Durham, North Carolina, during the height of the pandemic, which couldn’t help but have an impact on the results. Then there was the attention Jordan garnered as the “next big thing” during the Lush breakout — an especially tough transition for a young person in the age of invasive online culture. The anxiety of that period led to a 45-day stay at an Arizona-based rehab facility.

“I think it just gives fans too much access,” Jordan says of social media. “I think feeding into it is stupid and kind of doesn’t have anything to do with the actual craft. I personally don’t believe in running an art project through trying to make people have to pay attention to me on my social media feeds. I just find the entire thing really annoying and really false.”

Enter Cook, a multi-instrumentalist, manager, producer, engineer and allaround musical guru who is noted for his ability to provide creatively nurturing work environments.

“Brad was already a friend of mine,”

strummed electric guitar as she sings, “Lost love so strange/And heaven’s not real, babe/I wish I could lay down next to you.”

Valentine is the essence of an artist who’s learned that not everything can turn out the way we envision — a realization that sometimes makes Jordan’s earlier songs a challenge for her to revisit in a live setting.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t feel things as hard and I just don’t feel as bad for myself,” Jordan says. “The songs from my perspective that are like woe is me, which is a lot of them, sometimes I have to tune out when I’m playing live now. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s just so not me anymore.’ That’s a weird thing about making music at such a developmental time in my life. I feel a lot chiller about things. I know that happens with time but even going through a breakup in recent years, it’s like, ‘Oh, well.’ It’s not like, ‘Oh, shit, I have to fucking cut their name into my skin and cry over a sculpture I built of them.’”

Snail Mail plays Woodward Theater at 7:30 p.m. May 2. Info: woodwardtheater.com.

If Lush was driven by Lindsey Jordan’s teenage angst and her expressive guitar playing, Valentine represents the next step in her evolution as an artist, an album brimming with newfound textures and tones.

SOUND ADVICE

SHAKEY GRAVES

April 25 • Bogart’s

With his lo-fi thrum, churn and charm, Shakey Graves brings his patented suitcase kit and eclectic roots music to Bogart’s for a night of ragged singalongs. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, the Austin, Texas-based musician, debuted with his album Roll the Bones and Shakey Graves stage name back in 2011. Known for his one-man band dynamics, Shakey rigs a homemade bass drum kit out of an old suitcase and tambourine to anchor his ramshackle sound. He keeps the beat with his feet while playing guitar and singing his bluesy folk rambles — it’s a workout just watching him. Graves still performs his stripped down, funky blast of street busker schtick for part of his set, and then his band joins him for the remainder. On later records like 2018’s Can’t Wake Up, he utilizes other musicians and expands his sound.

Graves describes his music as “hobo folk,” and you can hear the tumbledown mileage in his music: the dusty roads, trains and highways that bisect his stories and songs. But it’s his charisma, loose feel and warm interaction with fans that pull the crowd in every night. This tour he focuses on Roll the Bones X, his most recent record, as a familiar touchstone; this is a special edition, two-disc re-release of his first record filled with

rarities and alternate cuts.

Graves sums this up to Magnolia Record Club in 2021, “I made many strange burned cds over the years for friends, this first record is the ultimate one of those, the cream on the top of years of strange songs put on tape. . . I love its rough edges and heart.”

Shakey Graves plays Bogart’s at 8 p.m. April 25. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Info: concerts.livenation.com. (Greg Gaston)

BEN FOLDS

April 25 • Music Hall

Making a return trip after a sold out performance in 2017, Ben Folds performs with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, conducted by Lucas Waldin at historic Music Hall, on April 25.

Ben Folds is arguably one of the most compelling voices of his generation, with his piano-driven anthems and ballads filled with playful effervescence often juxtaposed with sarcasm, irony and sometimes heavy (or even heartbreaking) themes.

He found success with his group Ben Folds Five and the band’s breakthrough record in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen. The album featured the bouncy and rollicking “Battle of Who Could Care Less”,

“Kate” and the band’s biggest hit, “Brick,” a tale of two young lovers put in a life changing situation with a simultaneously melancholic and anthemic chorus.

Ben Folds Five released their third studio album, The Unauthorized Biography

of Reinhold Messner, to critical praise in 1999 before Folds went solo with Rockin’ the Suburbs in 2001 and a string of well received releases and collaborations punctuated by a Ben Folds Five reunion record, The Sound Of The Life Of The

Mind, in 2012.

Much like a lot of his songwriting, Folds has made some playful and adventurous moves throughout his career, even contributing songs to blockbuster movies like Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge and Handsome. Most recently, Folds contributed the Emmy-nominated title song for 2022’s Peanuts special “It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown.”

In recent years, Folds has performed with orchestras in programs across the world and served as artistic advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. A result of some of these collaborations is the dreamy and ambitious pop of Folds’ 2015 album, So There, made with New York chamber orchestra yMusic and featuring a piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Folds recently announced his latest album, What Matters Most, will be released June 2.

Ben Folds plays Music Hall at 7:30 p.m. April 25. Info: cincinnatisymphony.org.

(Brent Stroud)

BILLY IDOL

May 6 • PNC Pavilion

British rock and roll legend Billy Idol and his famous bleach blonde hair and punk sneer will make a special appearance in front of a Cincinnati crowd at PNC Pavilion.

Along with his unmistakable image, Idol’s revved up new wave sound delivered with a punk attitude made him one of the biggest stars of the original MTV era throughout the ‘80s, and his popularity has kept him a relevant personality and sustaining figure in pop culture ever since. From being a regular on major festival lineups and on daily radio play to tour dates around the world, he’s proven his staying power.

Idol began his career in the mid-70s, forming the charting punk band Generation X before branching out as a solo artist with a move to New York City in 1981 and the release of his debut solo EP Don’t Stop. A self-titled full-length album followed the next year, achieving major success with the singles “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding,” making Idol a video star with the accompanying videos that received heavy rotation on the then-newly-formed MTV. The album Rebel Yell followed in 1983, again scoring hits and video airplay with the album’s title song, the power ballad “Eyes Without a Face” and the driving “Flesh For Fantasy.”

Overall, Idol scored hits with 12 singles landing on the Billboard singles chart,

including a number one with his cover of ‘60s group Tommy James and Shondells’ “Mony Mony” in 1987 and 1990’s “Cradle of Love” at number two.

He recently signed to Dark Horse Records, a label founded by late Beatle George Harrison, and has released two EPs, The Roadside in 2021, and The Cage in 2022. Idol also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January.

The show, bringing a high energy rock and roll show with a shaking fist and a rebel yell, will feature longtime collaborator and Idol guitar player Steve Stevens.

Billy Idol plays PNC Pavilion at 8 p.m. May 6. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Info: riverbend.org. (BS)

JOHN MELLENCAMP

May 12 & 13 • Aronoff Center for the Arts

When Johnny Cougar released his debut record, Chestnut Street Incident, back in 1976, few would have guessed his career would still be going strong some 45 years later in 2023. But, of course, fans know the Seymour, Indiana, native now by his real name, John Mellencamp, after he ditched the cheesy pseudonym in 1983 with the release of Uh-Huh. Long ago having proven his commercial songwriting chops, which includes having sold over 60 million records globally, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is still releasing quality roots music into his seventies.

Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, Mellencamp’s new record from 2022, offers moody textures — even jazz-tinged at times, with his stark, downbeat balladry and craggy croak. More than any other dynamic, his voice has changed dramatically, coarsening into a Tom Waits-like growl that trades higher range for gravitas.

Mellencamp explains to Forbes, “I was happy when I heard me sing “Gone Too Soon” that I sounded like Louis Armstrong. It wasn’t anything I tried to do, it’s just that cigarettes take their f**king toll on your vocal chords. And so even you can tell by just talking to me, that my voice is raspy, and that’s all from smoking. Nothing that I wanted to do. . . But I’m happy that I sound that way.”

Bruce Springsteen even joins Mellencamp on two duets, and their shared “Wasted Days” is one of the record’s highlights. It’s good to hear this pair of classic rockers finally collaborate in the twilight of their careers.

John Mellencamp plays the Aronoff Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. May 12 & 13. Info: cincinnatiarts.org. (GG)

CROSSWORD

Across

AT THE HEAD SHOP

1.  Some run in the background

5.  Gimpo International Airport city

10. Meany of literature

14. At a leisurely pace

15. Zoo attraction

16. Thing stepped on for comic effect

17. “I’d agree”

18. Adjust, as margins in a word doc

19. Did gangbusters on

20. Item #1 bought at a head shop?

22. “You’re one to ___”

24. Leans towards

25. Item #2 bought at a head shop?

28. Gastropub selection

29. Inarguable truth

30. Accomplished

31. Ingredient in space cakes

33. ___-Go (ski-bike company)

34. Troubles

35. Item #3 bought at a head shop?

39. Nine in German, and noun in Korean

40. Genre for Alexisonfire or Burning Airlines

41. Baby boy

42. Rowing machine unit of measurement

43. Go ballistic

44. Old video game company now embarking in blockchain because why not

48. Item #4 bought at a head shop?

50. Neanderthal

52. Violinist Leopold

53. Item #5 bought at a head shop?

54. They’re often lying around the house

56. Bundling group

58. News you can use

59. Port Colborne’s lake

60. Three-card

61. Electric Mayhem’s saxophonist

63. Piles up 64. Does wrong

1.  Things of value 2.  “Let’s rock!” 3.  Fruit similar to a grapefruit 4.  Completely involved with 5.  “Maybe, maybe not”

7.  Pledge before a judge

8.  “___ cerveza, por favor”

9.  Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King, for two

rival

11.

26. Bank statement

27. OR VIPs

29. Camera setting

32. It has a lot of minor characters

34. Put plastic over your windows, e.g.

35. Cronus and Rhea’s daughter

36. Potato preparation style

37. Short December holiday

38. Dry wine from Verona

39. First name preceder?

43. Legal advice

45. Key of “Für Elise”

46. Campaigned, so to speak

47. Fort Knox blocks

49. Gary of “Lost Highway”

50. Budgetary concerns

51. Burning evidence

53. Hidden message in some crosswords (not this one, though; don’t look for one)

54. Candy from a dispenser

55. It might be named after a great athlete

57. “He’s picking on me!”

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