Cover Story
The shooting, the letter and the protest
Former Metro Councilwoman Attica Scott and Sgt. Dave Mutchler, president of the River City FOP Lodge 614, have never seen eye to eye when it comes to the subject of police shootings. Following the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, last year, Scott penned an open letter in the Courier-Journal in which she…
The 2015 Southern Girls Convention: A recap of the weekend’s presentations
For the first time since 2008, the Southern Girls Convention took place this past weekend — June 26–28 — at the Tim Faulkner gallery. Here’s our takeaway. Day 1 Carrie Neumayer Carrie Neumayer helped found and run last year’s Outskirts Festival. Now in its second year, the Outskirts Festival hosts discussion panels and rock shops,…
Our guide to Forecastle’s time conflicts
Last week, Forecastle released the 2015 daily time schedules, which seem to be pretty efficient, with little overlap. Although, at a festival this size, there will always be decisions. So, we took what we consider to be some of the most important time conflicts and broke them down. Friday Milo Green (2:00 – 3:00) vs.…
The six best local songs of the month
Cat Bite — “Dreams” It’s difficult to put into words just how boss this track is, the debut from the band Cat Bite, but I’ll do my absolute best to work through it — the struggle is real. This is, in so many ways, one of the best rock songs I’ve had the privilege to…
Trees and fences make for good neighbors: East End residents express concern about UofL Foundation building plans
Residents from the communities surrounding The University of Louisville’s ShelbyHurst campus filled room 162 in Burham Hall on Thursday, June 18, to give Glenn Price a piece of their minds. Price, a lawyer with the downtown firm Frost Brown Todd spent most of the evening reiterating his position in the face of vocal protests by…
Our favorite summer beers from local brewing companies
We all experience summer brews in our own way, be that with a nice crisp lager, a citrusy Hefeweizen or a floral IPA. What better place to enjoy that than one of the many awesome breweries in Louisville, which offers a wide array of beers, both of the summer variety and beyond? The only prudent…
A Q&A with the CEO of the company behind the Louder Than Life music festival
In October 2014 a new music festival echoed through the Ohio Valley, when the Louder Than Life festival closed out the local festival season with a lineup that featured Kid Rock, Judas Priest and Stone Temple Pilots. On Monday June 15, Louder Than Life announced the line-up for its second year, which will be taking…
Casks for a Cause Beer Festival: Vote for The LEO, help the Humane Society
This Saturday, at the Casks for a Cause beer festival LEO is competing against nine other media teams to see who can serve up the best summer brew. You vote and decide which charity gets a cash prize. LEO’s brewing for the Kentucky Humane Society, and we need your vote to bring some cash ($1000,…
Revenge on the Telemarketers: A conversation with comedian Tom Mabe
Tom Mabe is one of the most famous Internet celebrities. He’s up there with Grumpy Cat, Antoine Dodson and a young cherub-faced Justin Bieber. With a billion YouTube hits (or somewhere close), Mabe has taken the old “Candid Camera” prank concept to the viral, digital age. Hustler named him “The World’s Best Prankster.” You’ve probably…
Protest demands
The following 12 demands were listed in a letter posted on the door of LMPD headquarters at Monday’s rally: Complete overhaul of use of force policies to be more aligned with ?Amnesty International, Dept. of Justice and UN Guidelines. When an officer-involved shooting occurs: A. That officer and all responding officers need to give a…
Into the future: A Q&A with Pokey LaFarge
Pokey LaFarge is the sort of roots revisionist that doesn’t incorporate today’s rock and pop landscape into his sound, he instead carefully blends aspects of the past, forming an original brand of Americana. And, while the train-hopping folk, riverboat swing, dancing horns and his archaic croon pay homage to the things that came before it,…
b-sides: The Best of Weird Al
Weird Al Yankovic is perhaps one of the most affable figures in entertainment. For many, getting the parody treatment from Weird Al is an honor, a testament to their success as an artist that they would merit such a response. Weird Al’s work spans almost forty years with hits in every decade, including the 2013…
I love you, but go away
Did you know there was a time when Johnny Cash wasn’t in vogue? The crowd in the ’80s had all but abandoned him. You didn’t have very many people asking for or covering “Folsom Prison Blues” in late-night bars. No, it took a few folks picking up on his “American” series during the ’90s for the public to…
Plugged In (June 24 – June 30)
WED June 24th 8Up: DJ Matt Anthony; 7:30 p.m. Bard’s Town: Cicada Rhythm, Southern Sirens; 6:30 p.m., $5 Baxter 942: Full Contact Karaoke; 10 p.m. Bistro 1860: Will Wilder’s Guitar Jazz; 7 p.m. Cure Lounge: Heinous Orca, Boner City, Kristen Peckham; 9 p.m. El Nopal (Crestwood): Nick Nichols Gerstle’s Place: Kimmet & Doug Goodwood Brewing:…
Rabbit on Acid – Replaced Without Warning: The Best of Open Mike Night
(self-released) With Rabbit on Acid, you never really know what you’re going to get. His bedroom recordings range from lo-fi, multi-instrumentalist pop to some especially avant-garde, sampled-vocal experimentation that defies any easy classification. On his newest and aptly-titled release, the one-man project explores improvisational work, which yields mixed results. Recorded live, with the primary instrumentation…
Bonnie Stillwatter – The Devil is People
(Temporary ?Residence) A portmanteau of musicians Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Watter and craft brewery Stillwater Artisanal, Bonnie Stillwatter is a collaboration of music, art and apparently beer. The end result is an all-too-short LP that combines the strengths of each into one neat package. Singer Will Oldham has the most obvious contribution with his vocals, but…
TinyForest – Premethazine
(self-released) With “Premethazine,” TinyForest reinvents himself in a subtle, although evocative way. The music has the same relaxed vibe — that kind of feeling you get when you have an open schedule and a pocket full of fives, no worries in the world. Instead of relying on heavy trap work to propel the music, the…
State Champion – Fantasy Error
(Sophomore Lounge) It seems wholly appropriate that “Fantasy Error,” the latest from Americana rockers State Champion, dropped in mid-May, given that the weather so perfectly reflects the mood here. This is ideal music to listen to when the temperature is warm, but mild, when you can ride around at night with your windows down and…
Staging of ‘Shrew’ makes most of Shakespeare’s infinite jest
“The Taming of the Shrew” is almost — but not quite — a play within a play. It starts with a framing element straight out of a folktale. A drunken ne’er-do-well — a tinker named Christopher Sly — passes out after busting up a tavern. While he sleeps, a noble person arranges a grand conspiracy that will…
COMEDY: Hershberg’s one-man show, a little ‘Groundhog Day,’ a little ‘Waiting for Godot’
Raanan Hershberg is one of the most prolific comedians that Louisville either loves or loathes. He led the charge for local comedians to embrace the current alternative and independent comedy model. This weekend Hershberg will be performing his latest one-man show, “Self Helpless,” at The Bard’s Town. He took a few minutes to talk to…
Video Tapeworm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS A WOMAN 2010; $9.98-14.98; PG A nearly-lost effort by Louisville’s least-appreciated actress, Jess “The Good Wife” Weixler, finally finds its way to video. She falls in love with tortured, older writer (is there any other kind?) Willem Defoe, following him to his home in rural Italy. There she becomes obsessed with…
Commercial eggs in decline as local flocks dodge flu
As bird flu spreads through commercial poultry operations, and neighborhood chicken-keepers are busy stocking cartons of summer surplus in their refrigerators, local eggs at the farmers market could soon become the consumer’s least expensive egg purchase. With the laying hen population down 10 percent, and prices currently doubled, the 45 million euthanized birds buried in…
Tool Time
I was going through some random “not-very-important” kitchen boxes in the basement when I came across a brown box, roughly the size of a (single-sleeve) box of Girl Scout cookies. Valtrompia Bread Tube-Star, it says. Also: The (Name of the Company) and The Kitchen Store that Comes to your Door. I bought this at a…
Mystery beer bread from Birmingham
Recently, my girlfriend Cynthia took an annual family trip to Birmingham, Alabama, to visit a friend. Cynthia was good enough to bring me back a few six-packs of beer from Good People Brewing Co., one of the top craft breweries in the South. But it was her mom, known to most only as “Mimi,” who…
Dolezal’s dangerous deception and why it matters
Let me start this plainly. I don’t care about Rachel Dolezal as a performance — not really. I don’t care that she had a weave, braids or a ‘fro. I don’t even care so much that she bronzed her skin to appear darker. I do care that she lied; fabricated trauma and fake hate crimes…
Fraternal disorder
Now that the smoke is clearing over the crater FOP President Dave Mutchler’s letter bomb blew in police-community relations, we need to assess the damage and figure out how to build the best partnership possible. Failure is not an option after a recent spike in violent crime and this disgraceful, nationwide newsflash last Thursday: Peace…
Time to resign
Admiration does not begin to describe how I feel about Louisville’s police. The same can be said of our firemen, and especially our military. Every day, they go to work and do something that I could not. When I get home at night, I judge the day by how satisfied I am with a column.…
Inbox – June 24, 2015
CHARLESTON VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Yes, the Confederate flag should have been abolished long ago. Complacency, hypocrisy and ignorance keep that Dixie flag flying. Until we stop electing racists, bigots, greeds and NRA protectors to public offices, today’s style of racism, bigotry, capitalism and violence will continue killing America. Many NRA-duped Americans believe that guns are more…
