Arts & Culture

Columbus is a great place to be a horror movie fan. Between Gateway Film Center’s weekly Nightmares on High Street series, the Drexel’s annual Shock Around The Clock 24-hour horror movie marathon and Nite Owl Theater’s annual Halloween showing of cult film Trick or Treat, the area’s independent theaters offer up some pretty great chances to get your scare on. Now Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse is adding one more to the mix: Fright Club! Once a month, the theater and their friends from the movie blog MaddWolf.com will be spotlighting a horror movie that fell through the cracks of public attention but is nonetheless worth a watch. The series kicks off on Friday, January 24th with the movie Severance. In this 2006 British horror-comedy, a group of sales reps on a corporate team-building retreat are hunted down by a group of serial killers. In February (the 21st to be precise) Fright Club will be feature 2008’s Eden Lake starring everyone’s second-favorite Magneto Michael Fassbender.

If live theater has a healthy future, it’s largely thanks to organizations such as Columbus Children’s Theatre and CATCO Is Kids. It’s well established that these local troupes have started many kids on the path toward professional thespianism. But it’s also likely that they started many others on the path toward a lifetime of theatergoing. CATCO Is Kids’ role in creating future audience members was on display last week at a preview performance of The Cat in the Hat. Before Dr. Seuss’s mischievous feline appeared, director Joe Bishara talked to the viewers—most of them very young students on a class field trip—to make sure they understood what was expected of them. Bishara began by asking if anyone could tell him the difference between a play and a movie. After a girl explained that plays have live actors, Bishara asked the viewers to list three things they could do to show those actors they were paying attention.

Offering a spectrum that runs from whimsical to meticulous, Columbus College of Art and Design's Impact-Influence exhibit opened to the public Jan. 16 in the Carnegie Gallery on the second floor of the Main Library. The show is co-sponsored by the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Friends of the Library, Ohio Arts Council and CCAD and features the talents of the school's Continuing & Professional Studies instructors. “Columbus Metropolitan Library is proud to showcase the incredible works of so many talented CCAD instructors and faculty,” says Gregg Dodd, director of marketing for CML. “CML’s Carnegie Gallery provides a public forum for the community to interact with the visual arts created by both emerging and established artists. The talents and techniques highlighted through this diverse exhibit shouldn’t be missed.” The work that immediately confronts the viewer on entry to the gallery is Esther Chung's Alexie, a sculpture composed of end of mill upholstery cotton. While simplistic in construction it is flamboyant in display.

Reviewing a Bruce Springsteen album presents something of a challenge. The first problem is the temptation to view his current work through the lens of his earlier offerings-- after all, this is the guy who recorded Nebraska, probably the most downright terrifying album ever recorded. The second is Springsteen's political legacy. I'm particularly sympathetic to music with a political bent. To be honest, I want his music to be good. High Hopes ain't Nebraska, it isn't even 2005’s Devils and Dust. It's an erratic album, and only a few tracks delve into the icy creepiness which is my favorite thing about Springsteen. Overall, though, it’s a better effort than 2012’s Wrecking Ball and 2009’s Working on a Dream. Half of the 12 tracks are pretty good, and a couple are really good. As my wife points out, that's a decent shooting percentage these days. The album really is a grab bag. Musicians and producers vary from song to song, three songs are covers, and two songs are re-workings of older tunes. Springsteen is joined on seven of the 12 tracks by guitarist Tom Morello, who really does some nice stuff.

On Tuesday, January 28, the Columbus Film Council, The Free Press and RadioactiveWasteAlert will present a Free Fourth Tuesday Double Feature of both Gasland at 5.30 p.m. and Gasland Part II at 7.30 p.m. Both screenings are at the Drexel Theatre, 2254 E Main St in Bexley. The screenings are one night only and admission to either or both films is free. Donations are encouraged. Director Josh Fox will be skyping in after the screening of Gasland Part II to talk with the audience. In 2008, filmmaker Josh Fox was offered $100,000 for mineral rights from a company interested in hydraulic fracturing, better known as “fracking,” on his family’s land in rural Pennsylvania. Curious (and perhaps sensing a great story) he took off around the country in his 1992 Toyota Camry with very little money, a banjo and a lot of charm.

“Forward Ever” is a new Third Thursday monthly reggae night at Café Bourbon Street that sets off Thursday, January 23. Flipp-A, Jah Shaolin, Timothy Blender, Ashley, DJ Johnny Bananas and host Mario Rankin are the driving forces behind “Forward Ever.” Jah Shaolin said the goal of “Forward Ever” is to “spotlight the broad spectrum of Jamaican music for both reggae fans and novices alike.” Jah added, “I will focus on the 70s and 90s for this night. Tim & Flip have the 80s covered, Johnny loves early reggae (60s-70s), and Ashley loves roots reggae in general.” Ashley is a 20 year-old man from Zimbabwe who connected with the other guys at the Israel Vibration Show at Al Rosa Villa on March 07, 2013 and by shopping at Roots. Eventually, they all bonded performing at Chef Orlando’s Bistro on Shrock Road. When asked how he got into reggae, Ashley responded matter-of-factly, “I grew up on it.” Ashley got into deejaying because artists he likes such as Dennis Brown, Hugh Mundell and Junior Clark 's music was primarily available on vinyl when he moved to Columbus, saying, “Vinyl was limited. It was the way to check it out.

Last week’s passing of Phil Everly serves as a reminder that almost nobody is left from the great Rock 'n Roll era, the first post-big band suburban teen explosion – Little Richard, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran to name some. Many died young, a few are still hanging on, but this time is about to pass completely. Reconstructions of that period from this point out will likely be forensic, as is this essay. But them’s the breaks with history. "Rock ‘n Roll,” that most thoroughly useless of musical definitions, purportedly encompassing everything from Bill Haley to Slayer. Ha ha. I have a vague recollection of a music genre chart which showed plainly enough that "rock 'n roll" is just a mixed drink, straight 50/50 combination of Blues and Country (or perhaps Western Swing – it was a long time ago). Beyond that I can't pretend to guess. Wherever it came from, at some point some genius tacked high school lyrics onto the primal, syncopated rhythm called back-beat, and record companies started making astonishing amounts of money.

The title of Shadowbox Live’s latest sex-and-relationship show—Foreplay—reminds me of a comment I made about one of its predecessors. In a long-ago review, I said watching it was like experiencing really bad foreplay that miraculously led to really good sex. You can’t make a comment like that these days, as Shadowbox no longer puts on theme shows that ricochet between really bad and really good. True, they may have segments that are kind of weak or bland, but the directors, writers and performers have honed their ability to keep the audience interested until the good stuff starts. The upshot is that at the end of Foreplay, I felt like I’d seen a basically decent show. But I also realized that only a few of the skits had really stood out—far fewer than in the last two versions of Shadowbox’s annual sex-and-relationship show. Coincidentally or not, two of this year’s top skits feature veteran performers Tom Cardinal and Stacie Boord.

Samba Fresh lives up to its name! When I entered the establishment, my senses came alive as I was euphorically engulfed by the fresh infused air filled with what appeared to be a metric ton of raw fruits, herbs and vegetables prepped for their cold pressed juicing. My body intuitively absorbed the nutritionally dense organic ambrosia as if my life depended on it and responded with a burst of energy and vitality that satisfied me on a deep, fundamental level. Yes, most of the juices are vegan, there are two products that are made with local honey, and a substitution of local, maple syrup can be made if requested in advance. The products are organic, predominantly locally produced, and there are 30 options available that can be ordered online, delivered to your door/office/home or walk in. If you have ever seen the documentary The Beautiful Truth, or are familiar with Gerson therapy juice recipes, Samba Fresh can do those too. This is not a smoothie bar; there are no added sugars, flavored syrups, colored dyes or hidden ingredients. Just straight-up fresh, organic, cold pressed, nutritionally dense, cellular level satisfying, soul food.

“Sex is like snow, you never know how many inches you're going to get or how long it will last.” Sexapalooza returns to Columbus this weekend for three days of bawdy entertainment and a unique shopping experience. Starting Friday and running through Sunday at Franklin County Veterans Memorial, Sexapalooza offers a safe yet titillating environment dedicated to entertaining and educating visitors on all aspects of sex and sexuality. Enjoy stage shows and learn new sex “how tos” and tips at seminars given by professionals in the adult industry. Highlights will include burlesque, male erotic dancers, body painted models, bondage bed demos and more. This will be the third time the sex expo has been presented in Columbus, the first city in the United States for the Canada-based enterprise. Liz Lewis, the event promoter, said after holding Sexapalooza shows in Ottawa, Toronto and other Canadian cities, Columbus seemed a good fit. “There were a number of things I looked for and also the facility was open to having me,” Lewis said. “They were great to work with, they've been very welcoming.