Columbus Alive

07/20/2022

Hi. We're still dead but also wanted you to know that Scott Woods, one of the city’s best writers and a longtime columnist for Alive, now has a weekly column over at the website of our sister publication, Columbus Monthly. The first one went up today:

Why a collapsed building on the Near East Side of Columbus has inspired so many conspiracy theories

06/29/2022

You can now search for archival Columbus Alive stories at the Columbus Monthly homepage.

Get the latest breaking news, sports, entertainment and obituaries in Columbus, OH from Columbus Monthly.

06/17/2022

Columbus Alive won 12 statewide journalism awards, and our sister publications Columbus CEO, Columbus Monthly Magazine and Columbus Parent Magazine were recognized as well. Welp.

Columbus Alive, Columbus CEO, Columbus Monthly and Columbus Parent all were honored by the Press Club of Cleveland, and CEO by the AABP.

06/03/2022

The last remaining Columbus Alive staffer tries to make sense of how we got here, why it matters and what the future could hold.

And that's a wrap. Thanks to everyone who ever read a story, and thanks, especially, to all the people who trusted us with their stories.

The last remaining staffer tries to make sense of how we got here, why it matters and what the future could hold

06/02/2022

It's the biggest year yet for Damn the Witch Siren. Singer Bobbi Kitten starred in "Poser," which premieres in Columbus tonight at the Gateway Film Center. "Poser" led to other acting gigs for Kitten, including a role in the forthcoming film "Maggie Moore(s)," starring Jon Hamm and Tina Fey.

On Saturday, Damn the Witch Siren headlines the Newport Music Hall, and on July 29, the band will release "Gold Magic," the duo's best album yet.

Before the Columbus premiere of 'Poser' and a headlining show at the Newport on Saturday, Bobbi Kitten talks about her new acting career and forthcoming album 'Gold Magic'

06/02/2022

Film critic and former Alive staffer Brad Keefe says goodbye.

Some obnoxious ruminations on two decades of being a 'professional movie critic'

06/02/2022

Here's the final edition of Food News. Many thanks to Erin Edwards for keeping us up to date on the bar and restaurant scene twice a week, every week. Make sure to follow Columbus Monthly Magazine to continue getting Erin's dining updates.

Hilton Columbus Downtown names executive chef; Alqueria owners to open Linworth restaurant

06/01/2022

“Religion is complex and nuanced. Its place in life is complex. ... It demands and deserves our attention, and that demands that we stop and listen.”

Here's former Alive staffer Jim Fischer's final arts story, a look at the immersive "Religious Soundscapes" exhibition on view at Ohio State's Urban Arts Space through July 16.

The immersive 'Religious Soundscapes' show is on view at Ohio State's Urban Arts Space Downtown through July 16

06/01/2022

Here's a slew of Columbus shows in the coming days, weeks and months.

Here's a slew of Columbus shows in the coming days, weeks and months

06/01/2022

In his final column, Scott Woods signs off with a look at "that other Columbus, the one that’s seen it all and doesn’t pretend it’s something that it isn’t, and still sticks around."

To wrap up his series, the columnist discusses 'that other Columbus, the one that’s seen it all and doesn’t pretend it’s something that it isn’t, and still sticks around'

05/31/2022

In his final Local Politics column, Craig Calcaterra critiques the latest result of Statehouse Republicans' agenda: Two Trump-appointed federal judges implemented a map for Ohio state Senate and House districts that had already been rejected twice by the Ohio Supreme Court as illegal partisan gerrymanders.

"Republicans made no effort to hide what they were doing, nor did they even pretend that they were approaching the redistricting process in good faith. It was open and obvious from the get-go," Calcaterra writes. "Ohio is not, in any way that really matters, a functioning democracy."

Thanks to Statehouse Republicans, Ohio is not, in any way that really matters, a functioning democracy

05/31/2022

Welp

Friday, June 3, marks the final day columbusalive.com will publish new content

05/31/2022

This to-go-oriented cafe and bakery on the Near East Side serves superb baked goods with multinational influences, plus savory items like spicy, delicious little pizzas.

This to-go-oriented cafe and bakery on the Near East Side serves superb baked goods with multinational influences, plus savory items like spicy, delicious little pizzas

05/27/2022

"The feature film by Ori Segev and Noah Dixon debuted at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival almost a year ago — and generated enough critical buzz that I knew I wasn’t just letting my local bias take over," writes Brad Keefe. "It’s not just local. It’s a good film."

Debut feature creates a thriller set in a thrilling Columbus underground music scene

05/27/2022

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer, and the long weekend offers plenty of opportunities to relax al fresco. We’ve rounded up several solid spots to kick back with a drink this weekend and all season long.

The three-day weekend forecast calls for sunshine, warm temps and cold drinks on one of these patios

05/26/2022

“Schulz changed the way we thought about comic strips. … It did not have to be a gag. It did not have to be adventure,” said Lucy Shelton Caswell, curator of “Celebrating Sparky: Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts,” a fascinating retrospective on view now at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, mounted in partnership with the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

The new exhibition at Ohio State's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, curated by Lucy Shelton Caswell, reveals what was most important to Schulz

05/26/2022

Clintonville institution Gatto’s Pizza has reopened in its new space on Indianola Avenue, formerly Wildflower Café; the longtime local pizzeria relocated after spending almost 70 years at its High Street location. Nearby on Indianola, Dante’s Pizza will reopen Friday following an extensive renovation of its dining room.

Restaurant openings, closings and more Central Ohio food and drink news

05/26/2022

"In a moment where '90s nostalgia is giving way to '00s nostalgia and a My Chemical Romance reunion is the place to be for middle-aged people recapturing their youth, I can’t imagine a better way to start the summer than with a Pumpkins show outdoors in Columbus," writes Brad Keefe.

The Smashing Pumpkins will perform at KEMBA Live on Saturday.

This writer can’t imagine a better way to start the summer than with a Pumpkins show outdoors in Columbus

05/26/2022

"Metaphors don’t get much more blunt than the storm that rolled into town Saturday afternoon and ruined what could have been a big showcase match for the Columbus Crew," writes Chris DeVille. "After all the waiting and countless missed chances for Columbus, it was another deflating result for a team that just can’t seem to get it together."

It may be too early to give up on this season, but, ugh

05/25/2022

Here is this week's concert calendar, which is remarkable since Columbus Alive is down to one staffer, meaning no one even told me to do this. Also, just this once, it's available for free, no paywall.

A rundown of select concerts taking place this week (Tame Impala, Smashing Pumpkins, Maria Walker) plus recently announced shows: Nicole Atkins, Kevin Devine, Mom Jeans

05/25/2022

Last week, Scott Woods delivered a speech about leadership, stewardship, change, booking 31 days of Black art and more at a Leadership Columbus event. If you weren't there, no worries: This week's Other Columbus column is adapted from that speech.

"You don’t have leadership without stewardship, without service, a willingness to do every job under you on the chart at any moment," Woods writes. "But in recent years I was called to do something very specific, and it has been my work ever since: I set out to remove certain questions."

Our columnist shares his thoughts on leadership, stewardship, change and more, adapted from a recent speech delivered at a Leadership Columbus event

05/25/2022

Kevin J. Elliott recommends this double bill of critically acclaimed, boundary-pushing hip-hop groups at Skully's Music-Diner on Saturday.

Two of hip-hop’s most warped duos bring their stacked double-headlining show to Columbus

05/24/2022

"I feel like our band is considered to be a very optimistic, hopeful, hunky-dory band. And I think on a certain level we do embody those characteristics,” said Arkells frontman Max Kerman. “But I do think that the storytelling in a lot of our songs is deeper than that. Most of our material touches on pretty sensitive, emotional, hard relationship issues and political issues. … Our more hardcore fans, they know that, and I think that’s why the songs really resonate."

Arkells play A&R Music Bar on Wednesday.

The Ontario rock quintet with pop-radio swagger performs at A&R Bar on Wednesday, May 25

05/24/2022

"With Intel bringing thousands of employees to the vanishing farmland halfway between Columbus and Newark, we can routinely dump hundreds of millions of dollars into ever-widening I-270 and Rt. 161. Or we could connect with the 21st century and build an easier-to-maintain and higher-capacity rail line," writes columnist Brian Williams. "But, then, Ohio has never been very good at planning for efficient and effective mass transportation, either — at least not over the past century."

Publicly funded transit must have a place alongside publicly funded auto travel in the Intel development, our columnist argues. But that’s easier said than done.

05/24/2022

"The Ohio state legislature is refusing to listen to HB454 opponents," writes columnist Joy Ellison. "Since the legislature isn’t allowing opponents of HB454 to make their case, I asked several people to share what they would say if legislators were willing to listen."

Local trans leaders and parents make the case against HB454, which would ban gender-affirming health care for minors

05/23/2022

To begin a conversation about comic art in his Clintonville neighborhood, Ken Eppstein turned to one of the country’s oldest forms of communication: the U.S. Postal Service. On May 12, Eppstein went to his local post office and dropped off more than 2,000 copies of a one-page comic strip, which will be sent to neighbors and businesses in his 43202 zip code.

“It used to be that, whether you wanted them or not, if you had a newspaper subscription, you would have physical comic strips that you had to physically navigate every day, dropped on your porch. That's something that's missing now, and I think that's kind of unfair, particularly in a place like Columbus, where [comics] can be considered a pretty big part of our town's heritage," said Eppstein, who also publishes comic books and zines through his own imprint, Nix Comics.

The Clintonville comic book artist and publisher is sending a cartoon to 2,000 of his neighbors in hopes of bringing physicality and geography back to comics

05/23/2022

Jack Nicklaus sued by his own company; Dave Chappelle accused of transphobic jokes during surprise Schott set; proposed ID changes for Columbus police; and more from the weekend.

05/23/2022

From barbecue to taco trucks, ice cream to soul food, these local spots are sure to satisfy as the mercury rises in Columbus.

From barbecue to taco trucks, ice cream to soul food, these local spots are sure to satisfy as the mercury rises in Columbus

05/20/2022

"'Men' shows filmmaker Alex Garland shifting away from heady sci-fi into heady horror, and he’s quite good at it," says Brad Keefe. "At times, 'Men' is happy to lean into traditional horror, complete with jump scares, but it’s at its best when it’s creating a skin-crawling unease rather than being overt."

https://www.columbusalive.com/story/entertainment/movies/2022/05/20/men-turns-everyday-encounters-into-sheer-terror/9838833002/

05/19/2022

Kittie’s Cakes’ two locations are under new ownership; a Columbus caterer is launching Take Me Tacos; nightlife destination Noir Lounge is coming soon to Downtown Columbus; and more Food News.

Restaurant openings, closings and more Central Ohio food and drink news