WEB EXCLUSIVE: Van Zandt loyalists drawn to eclectic tribute
Nate Thumas had no idea what he was getting into when he agreed to book a Townes Van Zandt tribute show at Air Devil’s Inn four years ago. One thing’s for sure: This circus, as he calls it, has taken on a life of its own. “From now until midnight on Monday, I’ll have…
NEW YEAR’S EVE Round-up: Can’t-miss shows for New Year’s Eve weekend
Code Red sends the Cards off in style at Tailgaters on Friday. Normally, New Year’s Eve is a time when I cozy up to a keg at a friend’s house and avoid crowds. The list that follows shows I might have to change my habit. Here’s my best of the best. In no particular order.…
Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax  and all of the art that sticks in 2006
BY LEO ARTS WRITERS Empujon: In August at 21C Museum Hotel, Louisville Ballet dancer David Ingram debuted Empujon, a new contemporary dance troupe that includes several members of the Ballet. Photo by Eddie Dant Did the events and performances of 2006 make any difference in the overall vitality of Louisville’s arts scene? If so, how?…
Message to the People: Seven for ’07
The year is over. Rough year, but we made it. No resolutions from the good ol’ “Bastard out of Georgia” as we enter the next one, just a few suggestions. I’ll call them the “7 for ’07.” 1) Discover your passion. As I always advise my students, don’t seek what you think will make you…
Bluegrass Politics: The political year in review
The hardest part of writing a year-end political wrap-up for 2006 was trying to decide what not to include. Indeed, it was that crazy. From a governor under indictment and estranged from his own party to the politics of justice, from the upset of a congressional warrior to Democratic disinterest in being governor, it was…
Erosia (Letters To The Editor)
LEO welcomes letters that are brief (250 words max) and thoughtful. Ad hominem attacks will be ignored, and we need your name and a daytime phone number. Send snail mail to EROSIA, 640 S. Fourth St., Louisville, Ky. 40202. Fax to 895-9779 or e-mail to leo@leoweekly.com. We may edit for length, grammar and clarity. CorrectionLast…
The Tear Sheet : Bungling the name game – Is changing 22nd Street the best we can do to honor Dr. King’s legacy?
Louisville, can’t we do better?Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered on April 4, 1968, and since that dark day we’ve had seven presidents, nine governors and 38 Kentucky Derbies, and we’re still fighting over naming a street after him?The Rev. Louis Coleman gets a lot of credit in my book for doing important and…
City Strobe: Got cultural vitality?
So you think Louisville is among the nation’s leading arts communities? That depends on factors considered. The Urban Institute, a non-profit research organization, gathered statistics based on census data about the number of artists, artist jobs, nonprofit arts contributions and other data, and in seven categories ranked the top 50 cities. While the Louisville area…
Rumor & Innuendo
SchnellReport of the Week.Frankly, I’ve heard nothing more about our boy’s dalliance with They Call Alabama The Crimson Tide. He is said to have let Mal Moore and Bear Jr., the less-than-dynamic duo choosing Bama’s new pigskin mentor, that, despite his commitment to Florida Atlantic, he was available for the position if offered. What I…
Aftertastes
Joe Huber’s Family Farm & Restaurant, 2421 Scottsville Rd., Starlight, Ind., (877) 563-4823, www.joehubers.com/restaurant.html. Autumn doesn’t get any better than it does at Huber’s. The fried chicken, ham and mashed potatoes are always satisfying. (Reviewed 10/18; Rating: N/A) The Cutting Board, 2929 Goose Creek Rd., 423-9950, www.cuttingboardcafe.com. The Cutting Board recently moved a few…
Mug Shots: New year, new beer
The wistful tone of the Scots-Irish tune “The Parting Glass” seems better suited to another year’s passing than the better-known “Auld Lang Syne.” Of all the money e’er I had, I spent it in good company. And all the harm I’ve ever done, Alas! it was to none but me. And…
LEO’s Eat ‘N’ Blog: Nothing succeeds like excess
Jeff Ruby’s: Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse at Fourth and Main is one of several upscale restaurants that opened here this year. History may record 2006 as the year that the Louisville restaurant industry finally shucked the post-9/11 attitude that eschewed upscale, pricey dining. Two of the year’s biggest downtown restaurant success stories are the arty, glitzy…
A few hits among many misses in Hollywood
PAUL KOPASZ2006 at a convenient glance.These are not listed in order. 2006 was actually a damn good year for film. Not too many real masterpieces were logged (maybe a couple), but plenty of solid works. Not too many home runs, in other words, but lots of solid doubles and triples. There were nearly as many…
Video Tapeworm: Releases through Tuesday, Jan. 2.
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:SNAKES ON A PLANE2006; DVD $28.95, RSamuel L. Jackson proves he’ll do anything for a buck in this deliberately cheezy B-flick actioner about, uh, an airplane full of snakes. He’s an FBI agent accompanying a witness ready to testify against a vicious mobster. To silence him, the mobster has planted a “living…
Monkeys, mirrors, mystics and migrations: High Fives of 2006
T.E. LYONSNeko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood: Fables and song structures are flung about, while the musicians display utter confidence that the songs are improved by the stress test. Case now shows bandleader capacity that’s equal to her fantastic voice. The unique listen of the year (but well complemented by Jolie Holland, on the…
Musicians’ roundtable: The best of 2006
Music writers love to talk about “Best-of” lists. It’s one moment in the year where you get to show that you paid attention, and that you remember the wildly diverse selections that were released that year. It’s actually part of your job as a music fan — if you have any salt — to keep…
Staff Picks
Dec. 26-Jan. 4‘Re-Gift’ your Christmas Tree Jerry Seinfeld brought the term “re-gifting” into our vernacular in episode No. 98 of the hit show “Seinfeld” when dentist Tim Whatley re-gifted a Label Baby Junior given to him by Elaine. (“Love the Label Baby, baby,” was Elaine’s endorsement of the gift.) Well, our own Mayor Jerry Abramson…
Arts & Entertainment Listings
Holiday Events Blow Ho Ho! — Glassworks invites public to blow their own glass ornament, reservations req., 815 W. Market St.: $40, thru Jan. 6, Thu.-Sun., 992-3056.Special Events ••Soapbox Sirens — free open forum for artistry/music/poetry/politics, third Thu., 8pm, Alternative 1032 Story Ave., 561-7613.Collaboratory — evening of live music, poetry, graphic arts, collaborative and spontaneous…
Community Listings
Holiday Events Free Holiday Carriage Rides — National City offering the rides in downtown Louisville, Dec. 26-28, 11:30am-1:30pm, 500 S 4th St, 581-0100. ••Kwanzaa Celebration — the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry hosts, Dec 27, 5pm, Catholic Enrichment Center, 3146 W Broadway, 776-0262.Holiday Blood Drive — American Red Cross holds the 28 annual…
LEO’s Third Annual Not Good for Nothing Quiz* (2006  Holy Crap, Did That Really Happen?)
* “Only a good-for-nothing is not interested in his past.” — Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis Every once in awhile, a year comes along that fills our hearts with joy and wonder. Artistic expression flourishes, the people prosper, and nobody takes a face full of birdshot from the Vice President of the United States.…
