Here’s a review of this week’s questions: 

  1. This Cincinnati rock band formed in 2003 and has released six albums. Consisting of powerhouse lead singer & songwriter Erika Wennerstrom and a rotating cast of bandmates, they have been described by Pitchfork as “heavy enough to level a small city.” What is the band’s name?
  2. Name the gymnast and Cincinnati native who was a member of the “Magnificent Seven” women’s team that won gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
  3. This department store began as a dry goods store on Main Street in Cincinnati in 1830. The company grew, and the downtown location became an eight-story shopping destination with breathtaking architecture. At one point, they had multiple stores at malls throughout Ohio and Kentucky. What was the name on the front of the stores?

And here are the answers:

  1. The Heartless Bastards, who relocated to Austin, TX, in 2006, have been building momentum since being discovered and signed by Pat Carney of the Black Keys in 2004. Primarily a portal through which Erika Wennerstrom shares her immense talents, the band’s line-up has changed several times throughout the years. Wennerstrom’s low-fi style of guitar is the perfect counterpoint to her enormous voice, which resembles Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, but has a resonant impact all its own. Their debut album, “Stairs and Elevators,” garnered huge attention from critics and landed them in big venues with the likes of Wilco and Lucinda Williams. 2021 finds them releasing singles on Spotify such as “Photograph” and “How Low,” in anticipation of a new album that will drop in September, and they have hit the road for select summer shows across the country.
  2. Amanda Borden was born in Cincinnati in 1977 and attended Mount St. Joseph College in her hometown. She is a three-time World Championships team member and earned a silver medal in the team competition in 1994. She was a member of the gold-medal Pan American Games team and won the beam event. She also took second all-around and second on floor at the Pan American Games. She won beam and floor and took third all-around at the 1995 McDonald’s American Cup. However, she is best known as the captain of the 1996 Olympic team, which became the first US Women’s Gymnastics Team to take home the gold. The team, which included Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller and Kerri Strug, became world famous overnight, thanks in part to Keri Strug’s heroic performance on the beam after injuring her ankle. Borden now lives in Arizona with her husband and their children.
  3. Cincinnatians of “a certain age” have fond memories of shopping at Shilito’s which began its existence as “McLaughlin & Shilito” and later, “The John Shilito Company.” In addition to being Cincinnati’s largest department store, it was a landmark of the city, featuring breath-taking art deco design. Its flagship store, at 7th and Race Streets, opened in 1937. The company eventually sold to Lazurus, who later sold to Macy’s, but the great memories remain!

Thanks for playing!