<rat race>
Thursday, April 19
Run for the Rodents
Spalding University’s annual “Run for the Rodents” has been one of the early signs of Derby season since its inception in 1973, when Sister Julia Clare Fontaine conceived of it to alleviate anxiety for her science students during finals. This year’s theme is “Keep Spalding Weird,” and three starters will contend: Myrtle, running for occupational therapy students;, Wechsler (Psi Chi); and Tar, (Facilities Department).
Spalding holds festivities all week, including a parade through downtown, a Weird Hat contest and the crowning of the Derby Rat King and Queen. Guests include official Churchill Downs bugler Steve Buttleman, Barry Bernson of WDRB-TV and Dawne Gee of WAVE-TV. The rats and students have been training since February in pursuit of the garland of Fruit Loops that goes to the winner. For the record, the course record has stood since 1978 and may be insurmountable: 1.8 seconds. —Claudia Olea
University Center Ballroom (Spalding University)
824 S. Fourth St.
585-9911.
Free; 11:15 a.m. (parade)
<ART>
Thursday, April 19
Third Thursday ‘Parkinson’s Art Hop’
Louisville has gone hoppin’ mad. As if the First Friday and F.A.T. Friday gallery hops aren’t enough, now there’s a new kid on the block. It’s Third Thursday, and it goes down in the Barret Zone, the area of Barret Avenue between Winter and Highland that’s full of galleries, shops and restaurants that will stay open late on the third Thursday of each month. This month’s effort includes a fundraiser for the Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana, and there’s a focus on artists with Parkinson’s. Visit PSCKY’s Web site (www.pscky.org) to buy a $50 raffle ticket for the chance to win a work by one of the featured artists: Gordon Baer, Tom Boykin, Larry Keene, Evan Leibowitz and Carol McLeod. Additional works will be raffled at Shekinah Studio, 982 Barret Ave., and there’s also a silent auction. Participating area merchants will donate a percentage of sales to PSCKY.
Chez Moi Art Gallery helped organize the event. The gallery, along with the Monkey Wrench restaurant, are showing “Nebulae,” an exhibition of the sights and sounds of Alexander King and John Rutledge. —Jo Anne Triplett
Chez Moi Art Gallery
974 Barret Ave.
561-6206
Free; 6-9 p.m.
<MUSIC>
Thursday, April 19
Pussycat Dolls
Don’t cha wish your hometown was hot like ours? Louisville native Nicole Scherzinger is excited to bring her fellow girl-groupies the Pussycat Dolls to her hometown Thursday night for one of their first headlining concerts since hitting the road opening for Christina Aguilera. “I’ve got a lot of family members and loved ones and teachers who are coming to the show — I can’t wait for them to see what we’re doing,” Scherzinger told LEO last week.
Currently she’s busy with the demanding Dolls’ schedule and finishing up her first solo album for late summer release. While she’s in town, she hopes to swing by her favorite hotspots — Ramsi’s and the Outlook Inn — for their bloody marys, of course.
The Pussycat Dolls sort of picked up where the Spice Girls left off in terms of pop-girl-band history, but who knew Nicole had a favorite? “One Halloween I dressed up as a Spice Girl as a joke — I was Scary Spice, I had the wig and everything. I kinda liked her because she was edgier, a little more out there, I liked her spunk. And her name was Scary. I can be kinda scary, too.” That’s a cat for you. —Sara Havens
Freedom Hall
361-3100
$21.50-$55; 7:30 p.m.
<MUSIC>
Thursday, April 19
Lee Roy Parnell
Part-country, part-barroom sensibility and part bluesy rock brawn, Lee Roy Parnell has sat in with Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers and Dicky Betts, yet he’s continued to fashion his own identity with Back to the Well, his first album in four years for Universal South. “Believe me, this record’s as much of a revelation to me as it is to a listener who cares enough to dig in and really listen to it,” Parnell says on his Web site. At that level of self-actualization, how can you ignore him? —Mat Herron
Jim Porter’s
2345 Lexington Road
452-9531
$12/$15; 8 p.m.
<MUSIC>
Friday April 20
Head Automatica
Ah, college: dozens of leather-bound books, opportunity upon opportunity to stretch your mind. Keggers. Bellarmine University closes out the school year with a blowout concert: Head Automatica, recent Son-A-Blast Records signee Jamie Barnes, Jamison Taylor French, Dirt Poor Robins and Kinsey should help students stomach finals a little easier this time around. Head Automatica, fronted by Daryl Palumbo, former singer of the alt-hardcore band Glassjaw, is heavy on hooks and is out to prove pop is not a bad word. —Mat Herron
Bellarmine University
2001 Newburg Road
452-8155
www.bellarmine.edu
$10; 5 p.m.
<MUSIC>
April 20-21
Daydream Fest
We love it when the music community comes together, and this weekend, it’s for a celebration. For six hours over two days and two locations, Brick House and Keswick Democratic Club will host Daydream Fest, a tribute to the late Dylan Prott, who passed away last year. Dylan Prott was a member of the local band Pocket Bomb and the brother of BRYCC House founding member Jamie Prott. Pusher, Morning Belle, August Moon, Casket & Flower, Caleb Jehl and Western Transit will jam, and more bands are still being scheduled. There will also be a vegan potluck at the Keswick, so bring food if you want. All proceeds from the show will go to benefit the Dylan Prott Memorial Fund. Check out myspace.com/daydreamfest for updates. —Mat Herron
April 20: Brick House
1103 S. Second St.
589-4978
$6; 4 p.m.
April 21: Keswick Democratic Club
1127 Logan St.
637-9639
$8; 2 p.m.
<POETRY>
April 21–23
Poetic Promotions
In this age of bombastic widescreen entertainment, the event planners for National Poetry Month earn supernovas of admiration … for not throwing in with glitzy market trends, but often sneaking in head-turning creativity that matches the subtle power of the poets. Sarabande Press wants the sidewalks filled with verse, and they’ve set up a book giveaway to make it happen. To join in, just chalk two or more lines of your favorite poem on the sidewalk, take a picture, send in the image and request a book title (submittal e-mail and snail-mail addresses and available titles are at www.sarabandebooks.org). Carmichael’s has more traditional offerings, with readings by two local poets. The publication of Lynnell Edwards’ second collection “The Highwayman’s Wife” brings out the poet and teacher (at U of L and Bellarmine) Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. On Monday evening (7 p.m.), Nana Lampton shares from “The Moon with the Sun in Her Eye,” recently issued by Fleur-de-Lis Press. —T.E. Lyons
Carmichael’s
2720 Frankfort Ave.
896-6950
<PARTY!>
Wednesday, April 25
LEO’s Nightlife Guide Party
LEO drops its annual Nightlife Guide issue next week, and we’re celebrating with an after-work party at O’Malley’s Corner. There’ll be drink specials, prizes and giveaways, free food (thanks to Clifton’s Pizza and Hooters) and even an opportunity for you to pick the tunes the DJ will spin (send your genre requests post haste to [email protected]; I know I’d love to hear some Wilson Phillips!). Best of all, the party is free, just like this lovely newspaper you have in your hands. —Sara Havens
O’Malley’s Corner
133 W. Liberty St.
589-3866
Free; 6-9 p.m.
<ART>
Through May 20
Recent work by Bryce Hudson
Ever wondered how you’d look if you were another race? Bryce Hudson, whose heritage is African and Caucasian, turned that notion into a reality of sorts with the help of a couple of folks from Actors Theatre — Paul Thompson (makeup) and Marty Kopulsky (hair and wig design). The resulting images show find Hudson portraying various ethnic groups, including Latino, Chinese and American Indian. The transformations are astounding; are they self-portraits if the known external “self” has disappeared?
Hudson says he wanted to do this project “because of the way I was raised. I was adopted by African-American parents and raised in an upper-middle class white environment. People mistake me for Latino or black, and others have said I act ‘very white.’ I wanted to blur the lines even further. Some of the portraits are stereotypical, some serious.” The exhibit at Gallery NuLu, Hudson’s first solo show in Louisville, also includes his paintings and prints.
About the name of the gallery — owners Augusta and Gill Holland say they are “in the heart of “NuLu,” the area of “new Louisville” flourishing with new galleries, boutiques and other cultural opportunities. Think Soho in New York or London. —Jo Anne Triplett
Gallery NuLu
632 E. Market St., second floor
561-1162
www.gallerynulu.com