Local

I first hung out with Rochester Native and Columbus based producer Maggz aka Jon Rogers at SXSW because he and Bustown mainstay, Zero Star were performing at the Project Blowed Showcase in Austin. It’s always bonding when you hang out with someone from Columbus out of town. The first thing I was noticed about Maggz is, he takes his art seriously. He explained me his value system this past weekend, “I create music for life. A lot of people look at music like a movie or a video game. For me it's like 'naw, this is my art. Meticulous. This is color.” Maggz recently released a low-end thumping, jazz instrumental album “(Complex)ions: Mauve” that has been getting some love on the underground hip hop blogosphere. “Mauve” reception has been built off the momentum from his 2012 fall release “Fragments of Mind” on Feelin’ Music, a label owned by Swiss beat maker Chief. Feelin’ Music releases downtempo, Dilla-influenced hip hop from artist such as Chief and Moka Only. Maggz started off his relationship with the label just from a fan standpoint. “Another buddy of mine in Rochester was just posting stuff on Facebook, videos from Moka Only.

Take 5 with Donna Mogavero Donna Mogavero is a singer, songwriter, acoustic and electric guitar performer in central Ohio. Some of her music awards include Outstanding Acoustic Solo Performance, Outstanding Folk & Rock Singer Vocalist, and Best Female Vocalist. She has shared the stage with the likes of: Warren Zevon, Osbourne, America, Jessie Colin Young, Livingston Taylor, Ellen DeGeneres, and many others.

The past weekend was pretty jovial because two ex-pats had performances scheduled around Thanksgiving family visitations. Disco-house deejay Garrett David played music at the Rehab Tavern, Friday. Anna Ranger was able to have a release show Saturday at Ace of Cups because its core member Nathan Snell was home. Garrett David was in town from Chicago. When Garrett was in High School in Columbus, he made a name for himself under the moniker Adulture. Garrett was a key figure in the rebirth of the dance party in Columbus by playing a pivotal role in Scott Niemet’s Sweatin’ Party, and also took part in a few classic shows including one in 2009 with Diplo at Skully’s, Garrett moved to Chicago shortly thereafter. Chicago is the home of House Music. Things have gone pretty well for him, Garrett does a weekly show with House legend Derrick Carter and Michael Serefini called Queen at the Smart Bar. He is also the music buyer at Gramaphone Records, a revered record store in Chicago. Garrett has put out a few records including a recent release under the name BellBoys with his roommate Adam Rowe.

I have detected more than a slight whiff of common identity between the Affordable Care Act and Lady Gaga. Or more precisely, between their audience--which grammatically does not make sense. But in America 2013 explains nearly everything wrong in the country today. Lemme explain, my little pumpkin. The other day as I was navigating like Amerigo Vespucci around the bad Cape Horn back in the day of fearless sea-going Italians unhappy with what they had and hellbent for leather in their pursuit of a two-horse-and-buggy garage with accompanying villa, I was somehow or other guided by the net to a telephone connection with Kathleen Sibelius's office. The phone message quite impersonally told me: "You have reached the office of Kathleen Sibelius. Our hours are nine a.m. to five p.m. Monday through Friday. Please hold." Lady Gaga's new album, the artless Artpop, clicked on. Ugh. Horrible. More re-fried, re-shat Madonna-meets-Barnabas-Collins-in-a-dressing-room-built-for-a-fool that Britney's too good for.

Dear Editor Regarding the current brewhaha re: Ohio Senate Bill 193, the Ohio Republican Party's latest effort at restraining diversity and independent thinking by essentially outlawing political third parties, I can only refer the sensitive reader to J.M. Coetzee's excellent novel "Diary of a Bad Year." In it, Mr. Coetzee makes the astute point that the chief challenge of the state (i.e.- those in power, in government) is "to ensure that power will be passed from one set of hands to the next without contest of arms." To that end, many so-called democracies, the United States included, choose to offer its' citizenry a choice, Candidate A or Candidate B. Pick your poison, A or B, but C? Forget about it. On all levels of government-city, state, and national, Joe or Josephine Citizen can take his or her pick, so long as it's a Republican or Democrat. And what a diverse choice! The Democrats, owned by the corporations, mouth occasional platitudes regarding concern for the great, unwashed masses. The Republicans, obviously owned by the corporations, offer no such platitudes, so should at least be given credit for honesty. Such is the extent of democracy in America and yes, in Ohio.

I discovered Deepwood last year, when word spread like lightening through the vegan community that they had begun to offer a special and comprehensive vegan menu. So, when you are looking for another fine dining experience for that special event, Deepwood is another great local option. Our vegan meet-up of 40 thoroughly enjoyed the creative and delectable spread they created for us this time last year. Their current vegan menu features locally sourced, organically grown options and I’m salivating while anticipating sinking my teeth into that fresh baked bread, cauliflower steak with mustard greens, cashew, date, raisin, caper pickled mustard with date compote, and their vegan chocolate cake and coconut ice-cream to celebrate finishing finals this week and mom’s birthday. I had a conversation with one of their staff members about the benefits of veganic (also known as “stock free”) agriculture. By eliminating livestock from our agricultural production, we largely eliminate all kinds of infectious diseases from contaminating the food chain, such as: salmonella, e-coli, MRSA, pfiesteria, and campylobacter.

Long time readers know about my fond memories of the Galaxy Cafe which closed years ago. Starliner Diner and The Explorer’s Club have Galaxy connections in their kitchen DNA. So when I heard that Jerry Burgos, co-founder of the original Galaxy Cafe and long time driving force at the Starliner Diner, was opening a new place I was curious to see how this new restaurant would compare to my memories. Jerry sold his share in Starliner about four years ago but wanted to come back into the business of owning a restaurant and running a kitchen. This new incantation in the Galaxy Universe opened in mid-November. Long time fans will find the elements they associate with the name. The fare will be comforting to Starliner and Explorer’s Club fans. Most of the dishes are southwestern/Cuban themed eclectic classics. The decor is a hodgepodge of folk art, flea market and cool cookie jars mixed with bright walls and black and white checkered ceiling tiles. Jerry has teamed up with his wife Jenny and a small staff to add the Galaxy to the dining choices of Hilliard.

Columbus City Council President Andy Ginther's recent re-election may appear to have been a shoe-in under the current electoral rules and political landscape, but after an examination of his campaign finances, it appears to be more of a buy-in. There is big money in politics, and in Ginther's case, that money came from all over. Ginther's friends gave to Ginther, and Ginther gave back. The Free Press examined Ginther's campaign filings with both the Franklin County Board of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State's office. The figures in the two sets of documents do not appear to match each other. The Secretary of State's office lists only contributions to and from PACs on it's website, in spreadsheet format, while the Franklin County Board of Elections provides only facsimiles of the actual filed documents. Ginther began his political career as a consultant and executive at Triumph Communications and worked there during part of his council tenure until 2011. He has not failed to remember the friends that gave him his first leg up.

It started early Monday. It always starts on Monday, the yelling, that is. It doesn't stop until late Tuesday. It comes from downstairs, where the bulk of the Free Press work takes place. It's where the fellow who edits this publication plies his trade. He also startles our cats. Like clockwork, every Monday morning, we hear him holler out from below, “Godfrey Daniel!” he yells, but he doesn't really say “Godfrey Daniel.” What he does say I'm not comfortable typing. It's also the mildest of the expletives he spouts. He is crude and foul-mouthed, this editor person. “Mother Pussbucket,” he screamed 10 minutes after letting loose with his first audio bomb of the morning. Wobbles leapt into the air and ran under the bed. She doesn't care for the sound of his voice, not to mention the fact that he startles her with his cursing. “Son-of-a-Bitch!” he wails soon after. His outburst is accompanied by the sound of a fist battering a desk top.

You wouldn’t expect a revenge thriller from the director of 2009’s Crazy Heart. But if you got one, you’d expect it to be as grittily atmospheric as Out of the Furnace. Co-written and directed by Scott Cooper, the tale unfolds against the backdrop of an Appalachian Pennsylvania steel town filled with grimy poverty and despair. It’s here that Russell Baze (Christian Bale) works extra shifts at the mill in hopes of building a life with girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana). Meanwhile, family keeps demanding his attention. His father is dying, and his brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck), keeps piling up gambling debts. Warm-hearted and nurturing to a fault, Russell tries to protect Rodney from his own mistakes until a traffic accident changes everything. Russell ends up in prison and doesn’t get out until Rodney—now a former soldier and current bare-knuckle fighter—is in three times as much trouble as he was before. All this sounds like the makings of a touching family drama, but Cooper never lets us forget where it’s going. Before the credits even roll, we’ve already gotten an eyeful of the evil that’s lying in wait for the Bazes.