Cover Story
The Bourbon State of the Union
Fifty years ago, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed a resolution that declared bourbon “the native American Spirit.” Today in 2014 as we start Bourbon Heritage Month, the state of the bourbon union is as strong as it has ever been. Booming Production Bourbon production has grown by more than 150 percent in the…
The Taste Bud
Eating at JJ Fish and Chicken, a new fast-food joint in Jeffersonville, Ind., took me back to the kinds of meals I used to eat when I was in my early 20s. Back in those days, I had a hearty appetite and I would eat pretty much anything battered and fried. When my buddy Greg…
Nadia Giosia: Bite this, Louisville!
“Louisville,” an episode of “Bite This with Nadia G” premieres Thursday, Sept. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on the Cooking Channel. The Cooking Channel’s Nadia G recently filmed an episode of her show “Bite This” here in Louisville. It premieres Thursday, Sept. 4, and the promo blurb I got before she and I had the…
United States v 9-year-old
“Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons having business before this Court are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the Court is now sitting. Today we will be hear the case United States v 9-Year-Old Girl. The Honorable LEO is presiding.” Thursday, Aug. 28, a 9-year-old girl shot and killed her instructor…
Video Tapeworm
This Week’s Twin Peeks CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER 2014; $29.99-39.99; PG-13 With NYC in ruins after “The Avengers,” we find “Cap” Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) adjusting to modern life in the nation’s capital – and despite all our proud talk, he sees his nation involved in things that it shouldn’t be. When Nick…
COMEDY: All 150 shades of Mitch
Mitch Fatel has been kicking around comedy clubs for 25 years now. His brand of comedy is raunchy, but he delivers it with a childish naughtiness that somehow makes it all seem perfectly innocent. Hailing from New York City, Mitch has performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.…
BOOK: Sweet Boubon
Ah, the struggles of a book reviewer! The only way to verify a cookbook’s ability to convey recipe details is to try out at least one in the home kitchen. So, while the fragrance of a successful batch of now-cooling cookie bars wafts over the writing desk, it’s time to get down to business: should…
ORCHESTRA: Teddy Abrams
The most interesting aspect of the publicity splash the Louisville Orchestra has created to introduce Teddy Abrams as its new music director is the way Abrams, himself, is plunging into the opportunity. Putting himself out there as a visible young star of a venerable old symphony. Giving the orchestra something it hasn’t had in decades:…
Plugged In
Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your musical act listed, send email to sbishiop@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line, or submit using our online submission form at www.leoweekly.com/submissions. The deadline is FRIDAY at NOON the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. WED Sep 3rd…
Completely Obsessed
In my very first entry in this little series, I took the chance to knock generic love songs, even blaming one Mr. Paul McCartney for setting the tone for a million rip-offs for all eternity. It’s funny how time changes things. To start with, Macca will be playing the Yum! Center next month and you…
Zappa plays Zappa at Mercury Ballroom
Of the many iconic musicians to emerge from the 1960s, perhaps Frank Zappa was most unique. He had an advertising background and a love of music that ranged from doo-wop to jazz to modern classical, leaving a vast body of work. Carrying on this legacy might seem daunting, but his eldest son, Dweezil Zappa, presents…
Women Drummers
Angela Smith has ostensibly written a book about women drummers; she has actually written a short history of American rock, jazz, blues and country. Spotlighting women drummers offers insights into the struggles and sexism faced by many. She describes the scope of the book well in her introduction: “The focus here is not on classical…
Unless
The World According to The Foxery It’s difficult to summarize how The Foxery sounds. That an airy calm preempts the album, the soft hissing sheen of tape machines capturing the smallest sound fragments, is hardly indicative of what’s to come, which ranges from raging barn burners like “Broken Vessels” or “The Gnashing II” to the…
Staffpicks
1. (bourbon) Wednesday, Sept. 3 Celebration of Bourbon Bourbon’s Bistro 2255 Frankfort Ave. 4:30 – 7 p.m. If you would like to partake in the celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month, how about doing it with over 130 bourbons and some free apps? Bourbon’s Bistro is honoring Bourbon Heritage Month by offering Bourbon Bites every…
The Bourbon Patriot
Every Dec. 5 for many years, Mike Veach and colleagues at the Filson Historical Society would gather at the old D Marie’s bar at the top of the Galt House to celebrate Repeal Day—the day in 1933 when the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment, and thus ending Prohibition. “People…
Bourbon Proof: Just Add Water
Before the bourbon you drink is ever put in a bottle, it is cut with a tall pour of water to put the fire out of the firewater. Except when it’s not. Increasingly, some of the best-rated bourbons on the market are being bottled straight out of the barrel, without any palate-cushioning dilution. With names…
Generosity, Distilled – Heaven Hill
Heaven Hill, founded in 1934, is the largest family-owned spirits-producer in the nation, and the second largest holder of Kentucky bourbon in the world. They are most commonly known for bourbon labels such as Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald and Larceny, among many others. However, a lesser-known brother has blessed this family for the…
Generosity, Distilled – Makers Mark
In June, 2013, Maker’s Mark employee and Bourbon Ambassador Jane Connor Bowie attended Volare Ristorante’s monthly charity night. When she found out the monthly charity was APRON, Inc., she asked for some background information. Here’s what she found out from Dawn Bianconcini, founding board member of APRON and employee of Volare at the time: …
Objektiv Part 1
In JoAnne Triplett’s Aug. 13, 2014, LEO article “What Does Louisville’s Visual Arts Community Want?”, some of the respondents mentioned the desire for an Arts Annual or Biennial. When I read this, I laughed and shook my head. Why has this not happened? I feel some blame because I had the idea to do…
VA Plot Must Be Buried
My father didn’t get what he wanted. Gordon L. Shaw, Sr., an attorney and World War II veteran, wanted to be cremated. But when he died of a massive heart attack at age 50, his mother insisted that his body be buried. My devastated mother, intent on keeping peace in the family, reluctantly deferred to…
