WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
Dr. Dog
Mercury Ballroom
611 S. 4th St., 583-4555
mercuryballroom.com
$23; 8 p.m.
With a genuinely interesting twist on lo-fi 60s pop-rock, Dr. Dog was like My Morning Jacket in that, when they appeared on the national radar, it felt like a victory that this sort of oddball psychedelic sugar could get that sort of attention. And, for a band that sonically wanders around a lot, they’ve been able to solidify an identity — one that can be as unapologetic in its catchiness as it is indulgent in its own strangeness. It sounds like music that’s difficult to conceptualize, but easy to listen to, which has always impressed me.
— Scott Recker
Thursday, March 26
‘Hidden in Plain View’
Chao Auditorium,Ekstrom Library
University of Louisville
2301 S. 3rd St., 852-6817
louisville.edu
Free; 5:30 p.m.
Whether it is people spitting out the word ‘thug’ to describe young black men or the way that we, knowingly or unknowingly, segregate the city, racism, and its lasting effects on the present, plays a big part in our lives. It’s also the latest topic in the Gottschalk lecture series at UofL. Louisville native, UofL alumnus and history professor at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Chad Montrie will be speaking. While you may have reservations about another white guy talking about black issues, you can rest assured Montrie knows his shit. He’ll be discussing the 20th-century exclusion of blacks from thousands of U.S. suburbs and towns and then examining the 21st-century impact of that exclusion.
—Ethan Smith
THROUGH APRIL 17
Amy M. Youngs + VermiCulture Makers Club
849 Gallery
Kentucky School of Art at Spalding University
849 S. Third St., 618-4600
kentuckyschoolofart.org
Amy M. Youngs creates what is categorized as biological art. Skylar Smith, assistant professor and programming director at the Kentucky School of Art, explained Youngs’ work to me this way: “It is very unique; we have never had anything like it in our gallery! Her work is operating on many levels and sensibilities — art, ecology, DYI ethos and digital interaction/social media engagement. It is quite an ambitious body of work.” The main medium for this body of work? Worms (stay with me here). There are interactive sculptures, digital works and installations that explore worms and their ecosystems (vermiculture means the management of worms). The opening reception is Thursday, March 26 from 5-8 p.m. with a talk by Youngs at 6 p.m.
—Jo Anne Triplett
March 27–28
The Roast of Hulk Hogan
The Bard’s Town
1801 Bardstown Road, 749-5275
thebardstown.com
$10 (advance); 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
For 30 years Hulk Hogan has been the figurehead for an industry of cheese, one perpetuated by the adoration of 12-year-old ingrates and delusional adults anchored by arrested development. He’s finally going to get what’s coming to him when the Young Dumb Crew put him on a spit and roast him to a nice healthy char. Just in time for Wrestlemania, the show is this weekend, as usual on the upstairs stage at The Bard’s Town. Local comedians Mark Parris, Patrick Passafiume, Sean Smith, Kent Carney and Craig Williams will be there decked out like the thick skulled simpletons that pepper professional wrestling: Vince McMahon, The Rock, Mick “Mankind” Foley, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the iconic Suburban Commando himself, “Hollywood” Hulk “Hulkamania” Hogan.
—Brent Owen
Saturday, March 28
‘Becoming a Mystic Warrior for Our Times’
Unity of Louisville
757 S. Brook St., 645-6652
brownpapertickets.com/event/1121787
$40+; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
The controversial theologian Rev. Matthew Fox wants everyone to become ‘Mystic Warriors,’ someone who develops the depths of compassion and seeks justice in our modern world. Sound like the usual Sunday talk? I thought not. Well it’s talk like that which resulted in Fox’s expulsion from the Catholic Church by then Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict). But Fox has since authored 30 books and gained a large following for his progressive views, which are intriguing and challenging to say the least. You can also catch him on a panel discussing the legacy of Thomas Merton this Friday at 7 p.m. at Bellarmine University’s Frazier Hall, ticket also available at brownpapertickets.com.
—Ethan Smith
Saturday, March 28
Spring Break One-Year Anniversary
The Cure Lounge
1481 S. Shelby St., 365-3369
Free; 11 p.m.- 3 a.m.
For students and teachers March marks the annual spring break tradition, where we all pretend as a group that it’s warmer outside than it actually is because we have time off and no further tolerance for the winter. But for some folks, Spring Break isn’t just a weeklong holiday spent at home or on a beach, but a valid lifestyle choice where every day is an opportunity to get live. The Cure Lounge has been celebrating this spirit now for one full year with a monthly dance party featuring the best rap, R&B, pop and dance tracks from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early ‘00s for a show that is basically the party equivalent of 105.1, but with drink specials. So come celebrate their one-year anniversary of getting rowdy this Saturday.
— Syd Bishop
SUNDAY, MARCH 28
Whitey Morgan and the 78s
Headliners
1386 Lexington Road, 584-8088
headlinerslouisville.com
$12-$15; 9 p.m.
A supercharged, well-oiled honkey tonk machine that gets as close as you can to the gritty outlaws of the 70s without feeling like a ripoff, Whitey Morgan and the 78s have been on the grind, touring seemingly non-stop, for close to a decade at this point, and that perseverance has paid off. In that time, they’ve went from losing money on the road, to putting together a solid dive-bar route, to, now, playing at mid-sized venues like Headliners. They’re one of those bands that it was great to see play at your neighborhood bar a few years ago, but now you’re more than willing to pay the extra money to see them, because they deserve it.
— Scott Recker
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater
501 W. Main St., 584-7777
kentuckycenter.org
$35; 7 p.m.
Named after the building where the influential New Orleans legends got their start in 1961, Preservation Hall Jazz Band is nothing short of an institution, as the group has been a vehicle for some of the finest names in the French Quarter. Helping to keep the style alive and well, they’re just as important and relevant now as in any of their 50 years, as they’ve become, if anything, more ambitious. As evident from things such as pairing with bluegrass staple Del McCoury for collaborative work, going onstage at last year’s Coachella to join Arcade Fire for a festival-closing version of “Wake Up” and appearing on the the new Foo Fighters album, “Sonic Highways.”
—Scott Recker
THROUGH MARCH 30
Kyle Bianconcini and Jenni Deamer
CRAFT(s) Gallery
572 S. Fourth St., 584-7636
craftslouisville.com
Art can make great friends, as Kyle Bianconcini and Jenni Deamer can tell you. They have known each other for over 20 years, taking classes at UofL and co-founding the Plein Air Painters of Kentucky along the way. It makes sense they would show together too. About six years ago, Deamer, well, drifted from painting and became interested in ceramics (it wasn’t the first time; she has also worked in printmaking and pastels). Her fondness for art that has a function and everyday use is evident in her pieces. Bianconcini has a particular love of Italy, having met her husband there; as a result, the majority of the paintings in the exhibition feature the lush Tuscan landscape.
—Jo Anne Triplett
THROUGH APRIL 1
‘Accumulation’
Patio Gallery, Jewish Community Center
3600 Dutchmans Lane, 459-0660
jewishlouisville.org
Accumulation is a nice word for “too much stuff.” The good thing about found objects is that they can spark creativity. That’s what artistic friends Lisa Simon, Skylar Smith and Michelle Word found out. “We each went back to our studios and thought about what [accumulation] means to us,” says Simon. “We each have a different way to express that.” Simon ended up creating ceramic sculpture with interchangeable parts. Smith’s paintings “uses layers of paints to create a presence on the page,” she explains. One person’s accumulation is an artist’s mixed media project, something Word understands. “As I rummage for materials at thrift stores,” she says, “I think about the botanist searching for a rare or unknown species.”
—Jo Anne Triplett