Cover Story
A full house of Pharoahs … but Baby needs new shoes
Not all Kentucky Derbies are created equal. Some years, the top prospects spend all winter and spring beating each other — with no one or two horses demonstrating any particular mastery over the others. By the time they arrive at Churchill Downs, the racing “form” of the field might look a little tattered. Or incomplete.…
The six best local songs of the month
Bonnie Stillwatter – “The Devil is People” If anything, Bonnie Stillwatter represents a collaboration that I would never have considered — Will Oldham, Watter and Stillwater Artisanal, a craft brewery. There is a beautiful logic to this combination though, with Watter’s Tyler Trotter having a stake in the Louisville Beer Store, Holy Grale and the…
Visually speaking: art news and events
[The above image is “Carolyn’s Journals” by Carolyn Whitesel from the exhibition “BOUND” — photo credit: Julius Friedman] Art News —The artists selected for the 2015 New Albany Public Art Project: Today & Tomorrow Series are Lee and Betty Benson of Jackson, Tennessee; Aristotle Georgiades and Gail Simpson of Stoughton, Wisconsin; and Allison Svoboda of…
Where to get the best bourbon cocktails that aren’t Mint Juleps
It’s no secret that the Mint Julep, the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby, runs deep within our heritage and has been promoted by our beloved Churchill Downs since 1938 (though it’s origin came far before). If we go to the actual Derby, sure, let’s all be in the spirit and have one (made properly,…
LEO Playlist 4/27
1) “Strange Eyes” by Murder By Death, who will be at Headliners on Friday, May 1. 2) “Halo” by The Pass, who will be at Zanzabar on Thursday, April 30. 3) “Feels Like Fire” by Ryan Adams, who will be at Iroquois Amphitheater on Thursday, April 30. 4) “Oh My Sweet Carolina” (Live, 2014) by…
Ashes & Fire: Revisiting Ryan Adams’ discography before his show at Iroquois Amphitheater
From a prodigious beginning in an alt-country band whose members became cult heroes, to a juggernaut of a solo debut, to a series of albums that ducked and dodged genre constraints, to a shaky “rock opera,” to two excellent post-2010 records — and every twist and turn in-between — Ryan Adams has spent the last…
Road warriors: Catching up with ?Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
It’s been over a year since Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn last brought their non-dueling banjos to Louisville. Now they’re touring in support of their first, self-titled duet album, a warm and delightful collection of newly-arranged traditional songs, originals and even a Fleck-arranged medley of two songs from namesake Béla Bartok’s “For Children” song cycle.…
b-sides: Atmosphere
For the last 26 years, Atmosphere has remained a force in the indie hip-hop scene. The duo has made their name not only on the poetic and socially conscious flow of rapper Slug or catchy beats of producer Ant, but also on their diligent touring schedule and dedication to their craft. There is an earnestness…
The Parade Schedule – Friday Night
Louisville expatriates The Parade Schedule released a quiet, jangly alt gem with “Friday Night.” With a sound that borders on country, it never gets too far into any one particular genre over another — every track is a little different from the last with the band exploring a ‘50s rock style at times, only to…
Cold Star – Cold Star
It would seem that White Reaper has opened the door for an increase in power pop in town, or, at least, an increase in the visibility of such. With their self-titled debut, Cold Star adds to that burgeoning scene, albeit with a lot more of a slacker vibe added in. The guitar is by and…
Alcohol Party – Complete Recordings
Like Bastro or Crain, or any number of great Louisville noisy indie acts before, Alcohol Party had an energy that charged the room, with a wry sense of humor to match. There is something so unapologetically rowdy to their entire catalog, represented here with “Complete Recordings,” released posthumously to flash drive. “Complete” documents the band…
A Lion Named Roar – Mano A Mano
The first in a string of EPs that will lead up to a full-length, A Lion Name Roar’s new release, “Mano A Mano,” dives into careful pop-rock craftsmanship that builds and falls, smartly leaning on charged emotional turns and lush instrumentation. There’s a raw energy that drives these songs, never letting them lose life or…
Hunger Strike
The world isn’t so different than it was six years ago, but there are those tiny evolutions, especially when it comes to the Internet. In 2009, blogs were still finding their way to the mainstream. What had started as small-time music sites were now responsible for breaking new bands. Web writers were getting music sometimes…
Plugged In (Apr. 22 – Apr. 28)
WED April 22nd Bard’s Town: UofL Opera: Four on Tap; 7:30 p.m. Big Four Lawn: Waterfront Wednesday with Shakey Graves, JD McPherson, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers; 5 p.m. Diamond Pub (St. Matthews): Devereaux Trio Hideaway Salon: The Pranksters; 10 p.m.; $3 Jack Fry’s: Ray Johnson, Dave Wilson, Jenna Mattingly; 7 p.m. Majid’s: Barb &…
THEATER: ‘Mad Gravity’ satirizes a world that really is ‘all a stage’
When Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage,” he meant it as metaphor. In our time, the metaphor has become a reality. All the world is a stage – or a screen, or a performance space. We live in a world where Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, Youtube and surveillance cameras can turn everything we do…
ART: Asssessing the field of Derby art
Kentucky Derby festivities officially start with Thunder Over Louisville, but there’s a case to be made it really begins earlier. I’m as guilty as the next Louisvillian who says, in March, “Let’s do that after Derby.” Galleries and museums have to book their Derby-themed shows in advance, all to get residents and visitors in the…
Local YouTube series ‘Bagged and Bored’ ?will leave you anything but
If you haven’t seen “Bagged and Bored” yet, then you’re missing one of the funniest web series on the Internet today. Produced and shot here in Louisville at local comic shop The Destination, by local production company Pixel Brain Productions, and starring completely local talent, “Bagged and Bored” centers around an often frustrated comic book…
Video Tapeworm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEAKS 50 TO 1 2014; $19.98; PG-13 The true story behind Mine That Bird, the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner born with a crooked foot, largely discarded by the industry, who is rescued and trained by a group of New Mexico misfits. Skeet Ulrich is completely believable as grizzled trainer Chip Woolley, with…
Keeneland day tripping
The Ohio River Valley is a gold medalist when it comes to seasonal allergies, and just as Kentucky begins to slide into spring, many of us fall victim to hay fever just as hard as we want to soak up the beautiful bluegrass. I like to insist, however, that it’s really just our bodies yearning…
We celebrate Cuba at TropiCuba
After 50 years of nutty national policy toward Cuba, our president, giving the finger to a recalcitrant congress, has shifted foreign-policy gears, reaching out to our island neighbor just south of Florida, demonstrating to our joy that Obama’s just another name for nothing left to lose. “Neither the American, nor Cuban people are well served,”…
Secretariat’s queen
Louisvillians, we have officially entered the most exciting season of the year! The fastest two minutes in sports is upon us and the city is roaring with excitement and preparations! As the field for the Kentucky Derby is finalized and outfits worthy of the Red Carpet are purchased, I thought it appropriate to take a…
How to be young
Cry without feeling self-conscious. Go outside and play Wiffle ball. Listen to really, really bad music. Actively try to be more popular. Look everyone in the eye and say hello. Then sing their names using that banana-nanna-fo-fanna song. Pick an annoying pet word, like “crud” or “wanker” and say it all the time. Admire your…
A yellow noodle in the abyss
Around one score ago, I ventured back from Bloomington, Indiana, bringing several of my fellow Hoosiers who had heard of, but never experienced, the Derby. I was approximately 21 years old, but a seasoned veteran who could play Fearless Leader to Boris and Natasha. Up at 8 a.m. we began the familiar festivities with a…
Inbox – April 22, 2015
Republican double speak It’s sickening and disgusting how Republican legislators believe in such buzz words and catch phrases as “integrity,” “personal responsibility” and “paying for what you get” except when it comes to someone having the integrity and accepting the personal responsibility of paying for what you get in regards to union dues with their…
