My wife and I took advantage of being downtown without the kids last week and stopped in to the Blue Wisp Jazz Club for a drink and appetizer. The Blue Wisp has been around since 1977 but has moved several times. They most recently moved into a space at 700 Race Street last year.

Inside

I was pleasantly surprised by the inside of the space. While it is dark like you would expect from a jazz club, it is not dirty or dingy. Jazz memorabilia lines the walls and live music is featured nearly every night. I’m told there is a separate performance space that can be used for ticketed shows and larger acts. On the night of our visit a simple three-piece band was providing music for the few tables gathered around the large central bar.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

The staff was honest with us and told us that they were very short-staffed and that certain food items could take some time. Therefore we went with a quick option and sampled the spinach & artichoke dip ($9). The dip was pretty standard, yet tasty, but the crispy pita chips that were served with it were very unique and appreciated. They were freshly sliced and fried to a golden crisp. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from the food, but now we may have to venture down that way for dinner sometime in the future.

I am so glad that football is back! The University of Cincinnati Bearcats had a big opening game this past weekend versus Purdue. Unfortunately due to spending the weekend in Troy, I missed the game. My ticket went to good use as my old college buddy and seatmate took his dad to the game. From what I’m told the game was insanely hot as was the Bearcats play on the field. They easily handled the Boilermakers and won the game 42-7!

I look forward to the rest of the Bearcats season and will do my best not to miss another home game. I will also be keeping a close eye on the Bengals, as many think they can win the division this year and have a good shot at the playoffs. Time will tell on that one. I would love to see that happen and I do hope to catch a game down at Paul Brown sometime this season. Who Dey!

Last night my wife and I were treated to a free dress rehearsal performance of Oliver Twist by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company thanks to Yelp. This was our first time seeing this company perform and our first time in their intimate theater that seats roughly 150 audience members. The theater space is just thirteen rows deep and there is not a bad seat in the house.

Hamlet

Prior to the performance we were provided complimentary drinks as well as Holtman’s Donuts and Patty’s Old Fashioned Popcorn, all of which were excellent. Holtman’s will be opening a shop in Over-the-Rhine soon, and I look forward to many mornings with their delicious treats. Patty’s is very close to our house and we are regular customers there. If you’ve never had their cookies ‘n cream flavored kettle corn, it is a must try!

Theater

The performance of Oliver Twist was excellent! I was blown away by the singing and acting of the company, they all appeared to be very professional. While the backdrop was fairly simple, it was perfectly transformed between scenes often times with the actors still on the stage doing most of the lifting themselves. Though I have never read Oliver Twist and only have a slight understanding of the play’s story, I found the performance very entertaining.

Oliver Twist will run September 6 – 29, 2013 with evening performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and matinée performances Sundays at 2 p.m. Thursday and Sunday prices are adults $31, seniors $27, and students $22. Friday and Saturday: adults $35, seniors $31, and students $26.

This past weekend was Mumford & Sons Troy Stopover as part of the Gentlemen of the Road tour. Another one of those weekend music festivals that now require much more recovery time than years back. Or maybe I’m just having more fun at my old age.

Campers

My good friend Will lives in Troy, Ohio and he offered his place for us to crash so that we didn’t have to sleep on the floodplain with thousands of others. With that said, I’m sure the on site campground was a good time. I was just glad to have some air conditioning to escape to with the rather hot and humid weather outside.

Under The Tracks

Oh yeah, I’m sure the 4 A.M. wake up calls provided by the passing train weren’t on the top of anyone’s weekend highlights from the campground.

Main Stage

Four bands played the main stage inside the Troy High School football stadium on Friday night. Half Moon Run, a Canadian indie rock band, was my favorite from the day. Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros were the headliners of the night. I thought their set started off really slow, so I found some dinner toward the end of their set. I’m told that the last couple songs they played were great though.

Troy Stadium

Seven bands played the main stage on Saturday afternoon and evening. I only made it in for three of those, but I think they were three of the better of the day. The Vaccines are an English indie rock band and they played a good set of music while we all found our spots for the night as well as a beverage or two. Next was Old Crow Medicine Show, a great bluegrass band. They had Marcus Mumford (and others) come out on stage for an awesome rendition of Wagon Wheel to close out their set.

Mumford & Sons took the stage next and it was amazing! I’m told 35,000 people crammed into the stadium, many singing every word of every song. Their fourteen song set was then capped off by a five song encore. First covering Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” before silencing the crowd for an amazing a capella version of “Sister.” Then another cover was played, this time was a cool take on The Beatle’s “Come Together” which then launched into the amazing duo of “Babel” and finally “The Cave.” It was my second time seeing the band play, and they were even better than the first time.

Market Street Stage

In addition to the concerts taking place in the main arena, there were two stages into the downtown Troy square with local bands playing day and night. I caught the end of a great set from “The Floorwalkers” out of Columbus. The square was free for everyone with a main stage wristband and just $5 for anyone without.

Elks Lodge

There were also small after shows and events taking place throughout the rest of the weekend. We spent our late nights at the Elks Lodge for bluegrass jams and outdoor DJ dance parties. It was a great way to cap off each day of music. If you get the change to attend a future Stopover, I would very highly recommend it. I would love to do it again.