B-Sides: Music & Other Ephemera
Epstein, Helado Negro and Julianna Barwick — three artists on Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty label — are part of a multimedia show. “We All Owe” happens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8 at 21c (700 W. Main St., 217-6341). Films by Jonathan Dueck, who’s shot video for My Brightest Diamond, Half-Handed Cloud and Rafter, will…
WEB EXCLUSIVE: 34th Annual Humana Festival Wrap-Up — Laura Morton
I’m grateful to live in Louisville for many reasons — one of them being Actors Theatre and the Humana Festival. I’m grateful for the chance to see so many new works in such a short amount of time. I’m grateful for the opportunity it gives playwrights and the opportunity it gives the audience. It proves…
WEB EXCLUSIVE: 34th Annual Humana Festival Wrap-Up — Marty Rosen
The Humana Festival of New American Plays has never been, or claimed to be, a collection of the “best” new American plays. If it were possible for readers, dramaturges and directors to read a thousand plays a year and determine which were destined for greatness and which for obscurity, theater wouldn’t be art. If that…
Tomorrow is the Destroyer
Brainbheats is the alias of Louisville pianist/composer Brian Healey, for those of you who had him confused with the San Francisco Brainbeats, a different composer/percussionist. This is not the guy who plays drums in Tom Waits’ band; this is the one who plays the piano and then uses the computer to make it sound all…
Farm Fresh
There’s a naiveté about The Howards’ debut, Farm Fresh, that instantly makes me call shenanigans on the whole thing. They come off like a storyline from Christopher Guest’s folk mockumentary “A Mighty Wind.” On closer inspection, you’ll notice nothing disingenuous about the Corydon, Ind., duo — they live a simple life, they love playing folk…
jj n° 3
With their airy sound and fey demeanor, jj are often labeled as twee pop, but there’s nothing cutesy or precious about jj n° 3, their second nine-song, 27-minute platter in nine months — no twinkling glockenspiels and not much overt whimsy. Instead, the group specializes in atmospheric dream pop, much of which isn’t far removed…
Derby frontrunners take the field
The major storyline for this Kentucky Derby was set Saturday in New York when Eskendereya romped to a nearly 10-length victory in the Wood Memorial, the horse’s final prep for the 136th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs. The Blue Grass Stakes and Arkansas Derby remain to be run this Saturday, but nothing that…
Culture: Star trek
Ah, the perennial field trip. For students, the destination is forgettable. Moldy paintings of moldy people. Dinosaurs. Caves. Stalactite. Stalagmite. Whatever. For native boomers, one destination was U of L’s original Rauch Planetarium, long gone and replaced by the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium. That passive experience is also gone, thanks to Rachel Connolly,…
Inbox — April 7, 2010
Too Flowery In response to the March 24 Locavore Lore by Holly Clark in LEO Weekly: My goodness, this dandelion gal is a bit much. To her credit, she gave some well-grounded info about culinary gardening. I only hope readers made it through the “inner fires of digestion” to get to her “city of jewels.”…
Industry Standard: Insider info for those who dine out
Great news! Your great Aunt Hortense finally stopped sending you a hand-written $15 check for your birthday. This year, she sent you a $75 coupon to a swanky restaurant you’ve been dying to try. Now what? Well, of course, first you brag to the person you’re going to take with you to said swanky restaurant.…
Plugged In
Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your club, comedian, musical act or karaoke listed, please send e-mail to mherron@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. The deadline is NOON THURSDAY the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed. Apr.…
Studio’s Grill and Pub stuffs it right
Every so often, a carnal pleasure will come along that staggers you. It might be a new sushi roll or a red wine or even a candy bar (tried the Reese’s Dark yet?). Once you discover it, you just can’t stop going back to the well. Enter the Studio’s Grill and Pub stuffed cheeseburger. My…
Mug Shots: Local baseball, local beer
“Baseball is what we were, and football is what we have become.” —Mary McGrory “The age of American industrial brewing is over. And the people who once thought the craft brewing movement was a fad can now see it for what it really is — a welcome return to normality.” —Garrett Oliver The measured,…
Retracing Steps
I don’t know what kind of pain and suffering Louisville-based singer-songwriter Andrea Davidson has seen, but she should go back for more. Girlfriend has the blues. The melancholic tone of her voice is beautiful and clear; you can’t fake that world-weary sound. Although there are some lyrical missteps, she’s got one of the strongest voices…
No country for good bills
Now that the 2010 regular session is nearly over, the difference between the Kentucky state legislature and the writing staff of “Lost” has become painfully obvious: One is a show about time-travel, bloated plot lines, half-baked science and induces regular and frustrated head-scratching, whereas the other airs Tuesdays on ABC. Of the paltry 55 bills…
H bomb
Back in 1999, Scott Lucas sang, “I’m in love with rock ’n’ roll, but that’ll change eventually.” Eleven years later, “eventually” hasn’t arrived. Still releasing vibrant albums and touring regularly, power duo Local H — Lucas and drummer Brian St. Clair — are out on the road again this spring, promoting their “68 Angry Minutes”…
Sunday Mornin’ Hayride
With all the talk of braying cattle, dungaree silk, Palominos and Pintos, you’d be surprised to discover that the hippie-folkie-cowboy singer-songwriter Bill Madison recorded his debut record in rural New Hampshire. Originally released in 1973 as a private pressing on Madison’s own Saloon label, Sunday Mornin’ Hayride is an exceedingly enjoyable breeze back to those…
Dance: Ballet taps into the magic of ‘Swan Lake’
It’s your typical boy-meets-girl-who-is-really-a-swan story. The Louisville Ballet is ending its season with the time-honored crowd-pleaser “Swan Lake.” Tchaikovsky’s romantic music and tragic story quickly wrap you up in a wondrous magical world. As a result, ballet companies want to stage it, ballerinas want to dance it, and people want to see it. Odette is…
Guess who’s not coming to dinner
Nothing reminds me of the important stuff in life quite like a funeral. Last week, the father of a friend passed away. But while it was difficult and sad, we were able to recognize it as a positive opportunity in disguise, a chance not only to celebrate his life, but to focus on what he…
Art: Off Broadway, on Frankfort
If you’re in search of emerging artists or art in Louisville, look no further than Spot 5 gallery. Located in the back of the Clifton Art Supply store, Spot 5 aims to be what co-owner Jeff Freeman calls “the off, off Broadway” of galleries. “We wanted to have the kind of place where new artists…
S/T
For those of you wondering whether rock forgot about Queen’s legacy, Foxy Shazam is the reminder you’ve been waiting for. The self-titled, major-label debut from Cincinnati’s maniacal troupe is an ultra-magnetic carnival overflowing with oozing horns, white soul and shout-inducing, Achilles-tearing breakdowns. Opener “Bombs Away” has shades of their previous, Introducing, with singer Eric Sean…
Jerry’s kids
If there’s any good argument that can be conjured up to support Metro Councilman Jim King, D-10, for mayor of Louisville, it’s that he’s the best policymaker in the race — period. During a recent mayoral forum at the University of Louisville, for instance, a student asked how the candidates would address alleged racial discrimination…
The last long goodbye
Stalin, while teaching his soldiers the easiest, most brutal way to instill loyalty, took a perfectly healthy chicken and violently plucked out each and every one of its feathers. The chicken then followed him around as he circled the room. The difference between chickens and humans, save the sometimes less-than-obvious capacity for abstract thought, reason,…
Attention to detail
There are a few Buddhist monks who live across the street from me. When we meet on the sidewalk, I wave and tilt my head a little and am always greeted with a smile, a brief bow and an elusive feeling of reassurance. I can see them walking, or sweeping their steps, from the front…
Tall glass
“The subtitle ought to be ‘Mint Julep Without the Sugar,’” Johnny Berry says of his latest contribution to honky-tonk and country, Bourbon, Spearmint & Ice, out this Saturday. The songs are “either about whisky, Kentucky, love found or love lost.” Staring out at Gerstle’s, a frequent haunt of Berry’s for several years, the Grand Ole…
Comedy: Cheech & Chong’s next interview
If ever there were two people who need no introduction … it’s Cheech & Chong. The comic duo who starred in “Up in Smoke,” “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie” and “Still Smokin’” reunited last year for a sold-out tour, and Friday they’re bringing their Get it Legal Tour to the Louisville Palace. Now without further…
Feature: A life less ordinary
Call it through the looking glass. Call it whimsical folk art. Or call it a surrealistic re-imagining of our grownup world, a place where woodland creatures and lost little girls stand as ciphers for our deepest fears and basest desires. Call it Lolleyland. Incorporating elements of folk, found art, surrealism, archetype and the natural world,…
Lip service
The Flaming Lips don’t look like white whales, but they might as well have been for Forecastle founder J.K. McKnight. After years of trying to land them, McKnight finally got what he wanted. This spring and summer finds the Lips visiting the area a couple of months ahead, on April 22 at Indiana University in…
Over the Big Top
This detailed, thorough album does everything it sets out to do. A noisy, acoustic, dirty-country-rockabilly road trip whose artwork compliments every nuance. Appearing with an R. Crumb-esque cover and comic, these 18 songs cover a lot of ground. Bordering on indie and energetic dirty rock ’n’ roll, this band leans on its home base quite…
Staffpicks
Thursday, April 8 Rose Julep Contest Sully’s Saloon Fourth Street Live Free; 5-7 p.m. Just who has the best Julep in this jurisdiction? LEO Weekly’s Bar Belle (me, writing in third-person) has been tapped as one of the judges for the 7th annual Rose Julep Recipe Contest on Thursday at Sully’s. Sponsored by Four Roses…
San Patricio
You may have doubts about the merits of this album long before the bagpipes started the Mexican Hat Dance. However, this earns its place as a unique artifact for history buffs as well as those who like international musical adventures. Chief Chieftain Paddy Moloney recruited guitarist/producer Cooder to help explore the regional song styles and…
The Grape Escape: Wine list strategy — finding the ‘sweet spot’
Today, assuming you accept the argument that wine-list markups are necessary for an eatery to make its numbers work, and you’re prepared to play the game to enjoy a little vino with your restaurant meal at the going rate, let’s talk about consumer strategy. Pick up a wine list at a typical bistro, and chances…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: DEFENDOR 2009; $19.95-$24.95, R Woody Harrelson goes completely over the top in this all-but-unseen indie dramedy. He plays a slightly dim-witted man who decides to become a superhero and clean up the crime in his city. Problem is, he has no superpowers, just a childlike sense of wonder and a laughable…
Colors
The Killers. Franz Ferdinand. Passively emotional vocals over electronics, and catchy, quick disco-punk. Sound like five years ago? Wrong. This is The Pass right now, a band that plays around town mostly at bars with DJs, not other bands, and with one listen, we see why. Really, though, this album is catchy. When the songs…
