<BOOK>
Thursday,
May 29
Author
Dan Mathews
Vocal
animal activist Dan Mathews makes a stop in Louisville Thursday on
his Midwest tour to promote his book “Committed.” Working with
PETA since its inception in 1980, Mathews has been an animal rights
activist for nearly 30 years and was behind the iconic “I’d
Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. He claims his book, which
was released to positive reviews last year, has two messages: Devote
your life to a cause, and have fun doing it.
Mathews
hopes that his stop in Kentucky will help shed light on local fast
food giant KFC’s questionable practices. “Kentuckians in general
are huge animal lovers,” Mathews said in a phone interview. He
thinks the horse racing business and KFC both have unusually cruel
practices, which give Kentucky a bad name when it comes to animal
rights. When asked about the recent death of Eight Belles during the
Kentucky Derby, Mathews took the opportunity to bash the horse racing
industry, which he claims is on its deathbed. “It’s no surprise
that they keep dropping like flies, and now that people are learning
a little bit more about horse racing, they don’t find it such a
romantic sport.” —Aaron Frank
Borders
Hurstbourne
2520 S. Hurstbourne Gem Lane
495-6640
Free;
7 p.m.
<INFAMOUS>
Thursday, May 29
Warren Oates photography exhibit
Louisville has been home to many actors,
including Victor Mature and Sean Young. We do our best to claim Tom
Cruise, but really, folks, he only lived here a couple of years. But
we can boast about 1960s-70s anti-hero/character-actor-extraordinaire
Warren Oates. He was born in Depoy, Ky., near Greenville, but went to
high school and college in Louisville. The Warren Oates Merit Award
in Theatre Arts is a scholarship offered at U of L.
Some of his best films are classics like “The
Wild Bunch” and “The Heat of the Night.” Oates died in 1982 but
is currently receiving a lot of attention with a new biography by
Susan Compo and an exhibition in Muhlenberg County. On Thursday,
Greenville’s Duncan Center Museum and Art Gallery is opening the
Warren Oates Memorial Hall featuring a permanent display of
photographs and memorabilia. —Jo
Anne Triplett
Duncan Center Museum and Art Gallery
122 S. Cherry St., Greenville, Ky.
(270) 338-2605
www.duncanculturalcenter.com
<theater>
May
29-June 15
Disney’s
‘High School Musical’
An
evening with your family on the banks of the Ohio is not a bad way to
kick off the summer. It’s even better when you can sit back and
watch “High School Musical” — for free, no less — at
RiverStage, the beautifully terraced amphitheater in historic
Jeffersonville. The stage was once a boat that served as a floating
restaurant in Cincinnati.
The show, based on the popular movie, follows
schoolmates Troy, super-popular captain of the basketball team, and
Gabriella, science genius transfer student, as they negotiate peer
pressure and cliques to follow their dreams
This production stars kids with considerable
stage experience, including Luke Porco, Noah James Ricketts, Jillian
Gottlieb and Kristen Sherman. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, chow
down on the omnipresent barbecue and nachos and watch tomorrow’s
stars today. —Sherry
Deatrick
RiverStage
Amphitheatre
Banks
of Ohio River, Jeffersonville
www.spiritoverthewaterproductions.com
Free;
8:30 p.m.
<BOOK>
Friday,
May 30
Author
Pico Iyer
Spalding
University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing, already underway
since last Saturday, willed be capped off Friday night by Pico Iyer,
author of the new book, “The Open Road: The Global Journey of the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama,” chronicling his decades-long dialogue with
the Dalai Lama. Iyer will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom
of the Brown Hotel. All of Iyer’s work draws on his experiences
traveling and living around the world. He addresses questions of how
we can make good on the promises of a global family, what is our
common ground and what divides us. A book signing follows the
presentation.
At
7 p.m. that same night, also in the Crystal Ballroom, there will
follow a celebration of recently published books by Spalding MFA
alumni. Local favorite authors such as Joey Goebel, Erin Keane and
Pam Steele will be reading from new works. In particular, this will
be the launch party for whiz-kid Goebel’s new novel “Commonwealth,”
to be released on July 4. —Mary Welp
Brown
Hotel
335
W. Broadway
Free;
5:30 p.m.
<MUSIC>
FRIDAY,
MAY 30
Nightwish
It’s
a Scandinavian invasion Friday night, when metal bands Nightwish and
Sonic Syndicate take the stage at Headliners. Nightwish is an
especially rare treat for Louisville’s metal-loving audience. The
band blends Iron Maiden and Slayer-influenced metal with an
orchestral backing and melodic vocals from singer Anette Olzon. Olzon
joined Nightwish in 2007, after former singer Tarja
Turunun departed. Olzon was prominently
featured on the band’s most recent release Dark
Passion Play, which was heralded as a
classic by Kerrang! magazine.
If
you like your metal a bit less melodic, and a little bit more brash,
then Sonic Syndicate will probably be more your thing. This Swedish
death-metal sextet released their second album, Only
Inhuman, last year on revered metal
label Nuclear Blast. After beating out 1,500 other bands in a
competition for a recording contract, Sonic Syndicate was one of
three winners and signed with Nuclear Blast, which will release the
band’s follow up later this year. —Aaron
Frank
Headliners
Music Hall
1386
Lexington Road
584-8088
$20
(adv.), $25 (door); 7 p.m.
<CHOIR>
May
30-31
Voices
of Kentuckiana
This
ain’t the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This weekend the Voices of
Kentuckiana community chorus is holding a preview concert of their
upcoming performance in the GALA Festival program in Miami this
summer, which is held every four years. Voices of Kentuckiana was
founded in 1994 to provide an opportunity for gays, lesbians,
bisexuals, transgender and heterosexual friends to sing and perform
together in a way that is meaningful for them and their audiences.
Their mission is to be an inclusive organization that celebrates
diversity and impacts the community in a positive way. At the GALA
(Gay and Lesbian Association) Festival, they will join more than 130
other similar choruses from across the country. Voices is one of the
most popular groups at this festival, and they can be heard right
here at home. —Jane Mattingly
Clifton
Center
2117
Payne St.
www.voicesky.org
$20;
8 p.m.
<ART>
May 30-June 30
‘A Show of Hands’
You got to hand it to Gallery Janjobe. Friday is
the F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop as well as the opening of “A Show of
Hands.” Art based on the hands, palm readings, hand reflexology
treatments and henna drawings will be featured in the gallery from
6-9 p.m. Artist demonstrations are on Saturday. There are also
accompanying programs weekly throughout June. There’s a
bread-making demonstration from 12-1:30 p.m. on June 7. If bread
kneading is not your thing, then stick around for a massage from 2-4
p.m. Sign language, music and rhythm is on June 14. June 21 shows a
“little sleight of hand.” The next F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop on
June 27 features tai chi and yoga. —Jo
Anne Triplett
Gallery Janjobe
1860 Mellwood Ave.
899-9293
www.galleryjanjobe.com
<MUSIC>
WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 4
Ingrid
Michaelson
LEO:
So the last time you were here, there was a snowstorm. Are you
bringing any winter weather with you this time around?
Ingrid
Michaelson: No (laughs). That was
wonderful a show! I like the snow.
LEO:
You’ve been held up as a beacon of light for a lot of independent
artists because of how you got noticed. Do you still feel that sense
of independence with your success?
IM:
Yeah, I mean, I’m still not signed, so, I’m just doing what I’ve
always been doing: adding more people to the mix. I still retain all
rights to my music and make all the executive decisions. That’s
what it’s about.
LEO:
What do you in your downtime?
IM:
I really haven’t had much of that. When I’m home briefly, I like
to see my friends, try to make sure I keep in contact with the people
I need to keep contact with, but I really haven’t had any time …
LEO:
How did the tour with opener Greg Laswell come about?
IM:
Greg is a good friend of mine. He opened for me on a few dates, and I
love his music. I asked him and he said yes.
LEO:
Will you be playing anything new?
IM:
Yes, I play 25 percent new material, 75 percent old material.
LEO:
What is that like for you, debuting a song live?
IM:
It’s more of a fear thing. It’s scary to perform a song you wrote
two days before. What a great opportunity to have and see how it’s
received. I’m always playing songs that I’ve just written. —Mat
Herron
Headliners
Music Hall
1386
Lexington Road
584-8088
$15;
8 p.m.