Cover Story
Radio Free Louisville
Since its inception in the early part of the 20th century, radio has commanded an unparalleled place of cultural power. The narrative of the apocalyptic radio broadcast — a staple in our contemporary “prepper” zombified zeitgeist — reveres radio as the most imminently durable and reliable technology. In countless pop culture references (from “Under the…
The Taste Bud: The mega-pita incident
I was hanging out with my pals Vince, Matt and Zach, the owners of Great Flood Brewing, watching (and pseudo-helping) them brew a batch of beer recently when Matt told me Vince was going to run out and grab some lunch. “You want in on it?” Matt asked. Sure, I said. I didn’t even know…
Hate winter? Warm your soul and tummy at Bistro 1860
I try hard to be open-minded. I really do. Consider the evidence: I’m a U of L grad, but I’m willing to root for UK or even IU, assuming that they aren’t playing the home team. I’m male yet feminist, straight yet affirming. And even as a card-carrying liberal, I voted for at least one…
Video Tapeworm
This Week’s Twin Peeks LORD OF ILLUSIONS 1995; $24.98-29.98; R This had the potential to be author Clive “Hellraiser” Barker’s greatest movie – if only he hadn’t directed it. Scott Bakula plays a private eye investigating the murder of a sleazy magician, but the more he learns about the man and his magic, the more…
FILM: The Ballad of Dave and Bill and Dave
Despite having appeared in nearly every LEO over the past 19 years, not one person in our office had ever met or spoken with the mysterious authors of The Video TapeWorm, David B. King and Bill Raker. Four months into my job as managing editor and the TapeWorm remained a cheesy enigma. I had to…
THEATER: Madcap holiday theater at Bunbury and Savage Rose
Bunbury Theatre’s ‘Forgive Me, It’s Christmas’ “Churchill is about ready to kick me out,” says Meryl Loomis (Brad Castleberry) early in Juergen K. Tossman’s new play, “Forgive Me, It’s Christmas,” which opened last week as Bunbury Theatre’s holiday offering. Meryl is a horse trainer whose career is on its last legs. Like many of the…
COMEDY: ‘The Roast of Jesus,’ take two
Take a breath. Step back, this won’t be as bad as you think. The band of comedians that brought you the roasts of Batman, Dorothy and Freddy Kruger are returning to their roots — revisiting the show that launched the local franchise. Born from the twisted minds of stand-up comedians Will Hardesty and Raanan Hershberg…
Time and Time Again
If there was justice in the music world, this all-star jazz band would need no introduction: saxophonists Billy Harper (tenor) and Donald Harrison (alto), trumpeters Eddie Henderson and (leader) David Weiss, pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart. Hart’s CV alone would run this review over its allotted space. They play nine…
Be it Ever So Humble
Comprised of half of Fire the Saddle and one-third of the elegant Sandpaper Dolls, it’s no wonder that The Tamerlane Trio perform a relaxed sort of Appalachian folk, perfect for a sunny autumn day in Kentucky. The instrumentation here is sparse, but well used, with Rob Collier on bass/vocals, Mick Sullivan on guitar/mandolin/banjo/vocals and Amber…
It’s Midnight….The Witching Hour
Instead of metal or any of its many derivations, there ought to be a genre titled “Music That Makes Tipper Gore Sad.” Cofounder of the Parents Music Resource Center, Gore and friends took a stand against music they found objectionable, which would gleefully be the case for “It’s Midnight… The Witching Hour,” the newest from…
Mask of the Devil
Hearing “Mask of the Devil,” the newest from themed-metalheads Savage Master, inspires in me a desire to slam PBR’s and burn shit, which I’m fairly certain is the point. Like old Megadeth and Metallica filtered through even more satanic/occult imagery, with a result that ought to make good church going folk want to roll up…
Plugged In (Dec. 10 – December 16)
WED Dec 10th Brasserie Provence: Brian Currella Duo, Joey Thieman; 5 p.m. Diamond Pub (St. Matthews): Chad and Karsten; 10 p.m. Gary’s on Spring: Walker & Kays; 6 p.m. Gerstle’s: Kimmet & Doug; 9 p.m. Jack Fry’s: Ray Johnson, Dave Wilson, Jenna Mattingly; 7 p.m. Jim Porters: Mixed Bag Wednesday From DJ’s to Country, Rock…
Completely Obsessed: Best of 2014 (pt. 2)
With my last article devoted to Louisville’s best music of 2014, the next two pieces focus on the national scene. When I look back at my top 10 lists from previous years, there is always a thread — a mood that dominated my listening. Last year was a big rock year for me, and the year…
The Basement Tapes: White Reaper’s chill ride to success
In many ways, White Reaper is the living embodiment of catchiness, at least as filtered through a surf-punk aesthetic. There is kind of a sneering Ramones-meets-Beach-Boys-while-bent-on-caffeine sound, an entirely kinetic affair that uses strong hooks and undeniably memorable melodies at every turn. Relatively new to the Louisville scene, White Reaper has been making big waves…
b-sides: The Hookers
Years ago, a friend of mine hosted one of the craziest parties you could imagine. There were bottle rocket fights, impromptu (and mandatory) wrestling sessions, pentagrams and such drawn with gasoline and set ablaze, and all the metal you could shake a stick at. It was the stuff of parents’ nightmares, which of course meant…
The Storyteller: A Q&A with Todd Snider
For being the epitome of the successful slacker-stoner stereotype, fronting a band named Hard Working Americans suits Todd Snider just fine. The band — a groove-centric, gritty, rock-first, think-later head rush of a collective —has released a studio album, a live album and a documentary in less than a year. During which time Snider still…
Staffpicks
Thursday, Dec. 11 Sweaty Sheep Merry Christmas Gala Headliners Music Hall 1386 Lexington Rd., 584-8088 $12.50; 7:45 p.m. Two years ago, Ryan Althaus and friends organized a Christmas dinner followed by an “eggnog-chug” 5K. They invited area homeless people to the dinner, many of whom decided to run in the 5K, where they “kicked some…
Mall Santas at war with Disney’s Olaf
Across the country, malls will be missing the iconic St. Nicholas when stores open this week. This drastic response comes from the United Santa’s of America (USA) — the largest mall-Santa Union in the country — who are outraged at yet another release of the Disney animation film “Frozen.” While expressing concern for the children…
LEON: Mall Santa at center of police brutality controversy
Santa Claus has joined the movement against police brutality, prompting an ironic twist to the war on Christmas. Over the weekend, parents rushed to Oxmoor Mall with their children for the timeless tradition of getting a picture with Santa. However, things turned contentious when the normally jolly fat man unbuttoned his iconic large red coat…
The progressive war on Christmas
It is Christmas season and once again we are confronted with the intolerance of the radical left. Every year traditional American values and our Christian foundations are assaulted in a new and heretofore unimagined way despite the fact that Pew Research states that 78 percent of our population is Christian. This year the Montgomery County,…
#sorrynotsorry
The events in Missouri have sparked debate about how we deal with race in this country. During protests across the nation, activists are being condemned and called animals. As well, we see those who oversimplify the issues and Band-Aid them with “can’t we all just get along?” The problem with these perspectives is at the…
Is income inequality intractable?
Two days before Thanksgiving, the Pope addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. But he might as well have been speaking to the Congress about the United States. “We encounter a general impression of weariness and aging, of a Europe that is now ‘a grandmother,’ no longer fertile and vibrant,” he said. “The great ideas…
Taking Aim
A few months ago in my Editor’s Note, I was extremely critical of several people after a 9-year-old girl shot and killed her shooting instructor at a gun range outside of Las Vegas. My criticism included the girl’s parents, the operators of the gun range, as well as the instructor who was killed. While I…
Inbox – December 10, 2014
LEO Weekly welcomes letters that are brief (350 words max) and thoughtful. ?Ad hominem attacks will be ignored, and we need your name and a daytime phone number. Send snail mail to Inbox, 301 E. Main St., Suite 201, Louisville, Ky. 40202. Fax to 895-9779 or email to leo@leoweekly.com. We may edit for length, grammar…
