Cover Story
Louneyville
There’s no shortage of ammo this year. The stories in Louneyville, more or less, just wrote themselves. Don’t get us wrong, we obviously think this is a great city, one with growth on its mind and pride in its heart, but there’s also a special sort of fringe crazy, our own brand of lunacy —…
What’s really driving the current national protests?
Recently, my friend Dr. Kevin Cosby commented in a sermon that he would not join in protest marches based on “hands up, don’t shoot . . . because we’re the ones doing the shooting.” The quote that obtuse local media grabbed hold of was Cosby’s humorous quip, “Stop twerking, start working.” I believe it was…
Sanityville
Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find some gentle, constructive criticism aimed at some of the loonier citizens who walk among us. So it seems only fitting to also recognize a few of the sane people in our midst. So often in our culture the delusional and depraved get most of our attention while sanity is…
Inbox – December 17, 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…
A tortured report
Serendipitous that the CIA torture report came out the week before LEO’s Louneyville, because the reaction has been nothing short of looney, and nothing less than shameful. A $40 million, 6,700 page report, which took more than five years to develop, and this is the debate our country is having? The most disappointing revelation to…
The feminism in pageantry
I believe that every female should participate in at least one pageant in her lifetime (particularly by her 18th birthday). As someone that has competed successfully on local, state, national and international stages, I will explain why… The Feminist movement began because since our nation’s inception, women had been treated as second-class citizens. We did…
Staffpicks
Thursday, Dec. 18 Slate ‘Serial’ Spoiler Special Listening Party Please & Thank You, Record Room 800 E. Market St. Free; 9 a.m. Serial Theory & Discussion Meta 425 W. Chestnut St. Free; 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Thanks to the creators of “This American Life,” eavesdropping is the new voyeurism. And that’s what listening to…
36 Seasons
Perhaps the Wu-Tang vet with the most durable career, Ghostface comes out swinging again on “36 Seasons,” his latest banger which happens to coincide with the release of the newest Wu-Tang Clan album. Ghostface brings a sense of classiness to all of his music — at least from a production level, which, while he may…
A Better Tomorrow
People love to hate on anything post-”36 Chambers” Wu-Tang, as if the band has had diminishing returns with each subsequent record. To a degree, that’s accurate. Part of the charm with their debut was how dirty and gritty it was, something that’s lost now, scrapped in favor of their newer and slicker (and often RZA-led)…
Alone
Seldom is an album so appropriately named, as it is here, with “Alone,” the newest EP by ambient country wizard Jonathan Glen Wood. The music here has that same classic country charm as with “The Ballad of Jon,” his first solo record release earlier this year, albeit as filtered through a particularly bleak and simmering…
Head Cleaner Volume 3, 4, 5, & 6 Compilation
I could use every word in my brief count just naming the bands that comprise the 103 songs on this all-louisville compilation. To say that this is an uneven assortment of music is an understatement, but one that misses the point; there is no hierarchy here, just a catalog of the willing and able. And,…
Ready for More: A Q&A with Nikki Lane
Nikki Lane wants some more control. She knows how to get it, too: first figure out what you want, then leverage your talents while working hard as hell. This formula might seem simply enterprising, but Lane wouldn’t be the first female artist tagged as a “bad girl” for following a path of self-determination. That attitude…
Grand National Dreamer
Born James Lindsey Jr., Jalin Roze is a rising star that has played all over town, from Rye to Forecastle to the Yum Center Plaza. Not only has Roze cultivated contemporaries in some of the best that hip-hop has to offer in Louisville, but he leads that pack, with a southern-tinged style that is as…
Plugged In (Dec. 17 – Dec. 23)
To get your musical act listed, send email to pluggedin@leoweekly.com or leoweekly.com/submissions with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. The deadline is FRIDAY at NOON the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. WED Dec 17th Brasserie…
b-sides: Jamaican Queens
Sounding like a band whose members were raised on equal parts The Smiths, New Order and Nine Inch Nails, this Detroit trio has an unapologetic electro-pop sensibility that bears absolutely zero sarcasm or cynicism. Started as an experimental music project between Adam Pressley and Ryan Spencer — with the addition of drummer Ryan Clancy coming…
Duck taunters all win at Vietnam Kitchen
Hey! Vietnamese Kitchen’s got duck! Succulent, delicious duck, fatty and rich! And they’ve got “mock duck,” too: an alternative invented by vegetarian Buddhist monks! Either way, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be … well, you know. Naturally my mind spun a Pythonesque duck-taunting fight. REAL DUCK: Go…
Locavore Lore: Growing food accessibility from the root
Theresa Zawacki is passionate about building a stronger economy through locally grown food. As senior policy adviser for Louisville Forward, Zawacki fosters relationships between farmers and new and existing markets. Her program connects growers to eaters in schools, institutions, restaurants and underserved neighborhoods. On the surface, bringing more local food to the community seems like…
Ball Droppings: 2015 New Year’s Eve listings
No matter if your budget is limitless or limited to “free,” whether your wardrobe preference is costume, causal or black tie and, truly, whatever your musical taste, Louisville has got a party for you. From karaoke to DJs, from the country strummings of JD Shelburne to the mashup band Q: Are We Not Them? A:…
Video Tapworm
This Week’s Twin Peeks ENTER THE DRAGON 1973; $28.98-49.98; R Arguably the greatest martial arts movie ever made – certainly the most iconic – this has already been released on every form of video known to humans. So why are we mentioning it again today? Because (1) this 40th anniversary Blu-ray version is about half…
THEATER: ‘Kings of Christmas’ packs The Bard’s Town
“Marley was dead: to begin with.” Second only to “Call me Ishmael,” this just might be one of the most recognizable opening lines in English literature. Not only does it kick off the best known Christmas story of modern times, it does so with that delightful and perplexing colon – a piece of punctuation that’s…
COMEDY: Nate Bargatze’s local roots run deep
If, like Bruce Lee said, “Life is like water.” Then Nate Bargatze is on Jurassic Park vibrating as the all-consuming T-Rex of fame approaches to his flank. You might not recognize him now, but you’ll definitely remember him later. After years of playing the road, club gig after club gig, Bargatze refined a sharp witty…
ART: ‘En el Espiritu de Frida’ at Swanson Contemporary
Madonna wanted to portray her. Jennifer Lopez too. Salma Hayek won that battle and received an Academy Award nomination. All for the admiration of Frida Kahlo, an artist as famous as her unibrow. As with many artists who get reduced to one or two identifying factors – ear/Vincent van Gogh, white wig/Andy Warhol, short/Henri Toulouse-Lautrec…
